


Journey of the Heavenly Dragons

by Tohka_Yatogami



Category: Highschool DxD (Anime)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 41,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28153371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tohka_Yatogami/pseuds/Tohka_Yatogami
Summary: Sequel to Legend of the Heavenly Dragons - OriginalAfter the events of the massive attack our heroes faced following Vali's decisive Rating Game, the world has adjusted to the revelations that had followed... though now the world is at risk once more as Rizevim finally starts to make a direct move. With enemies both new and old on the horizon, it's time for Issei and Vali to once again fight before the world is once again swallowed by the evil of the supernatural.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Alright! To all my old readers that followed the original story? We're finally here! For anyone that's new and doesn't know what's going on? Let me clarify things real quick by saying that this is the sequel of "Legends of the Heavenly Dragons", so if you didn't see that part of the summary? I heavily advise you to stop here and read that story first, as otherwise... you'll be spoiled to around 90 chapters of information that won't make any sense.**

**With that out of the way, glad to see everyone returning to read the second story of the series. As a quick reminder, as this continues after the events of LOHD's last two chapters, this story begins on Season 7, which will be adapting Volumes 14-16's events, or the Vampire arc if you prefer that. Considering this is our first arc, I have an important announcement to make.**

**If you recall how the first half of Season 6, where I kept the idealistic theme of the story, but went a bit darker by showing real consequences through the Second Great War leaving some damage people had to repair over time, and permanent deaths... that's sticking through most of this story. Rizevim's appearance in the story was the most serious arc in DxD's storyline, and I feel that means JOHD should be no different.**

**Oh, speaking of which... now that we're at JOHD, that means I gave finally give you one small detail about DOHD, and that's the fact it will be much shorter than its fellow prequels. I can't say much more than that for a few reasons, but I can say at least this one detail, which is the fact that it's because Trihexa has been set up as the ultimate threat of this story, which means what comes after is... well, I think you get the idea.**

**This chapter in particular will be like the first chapter of LOHD, just getting things settled in, with any conflicts that happen afterwards only being implied for now. There is one difference, and it comes in the form of a character that was only in one chapter of LOHD, but I said would be important later on for this story. This character is one of Issei's cousins, Seishi Shiraishi, who had been comatose in the hospital.**

**She'll be the main focus of this chapter, so Issei and Vali's roles will be fairly minor for until the next one, as Seishi's going to act as someone who's woke up to a world that's completely different from the one they knew when last went to sleep. For what's coming next in the series through this arc, I feel this is the perfect time to show such a thing.**

**Last thing before we begin? If you remember, I said near the last chapters of LOHD that one change I'd be making as a result of Vali finally being freed from the "chains of her birth mother" as she told Lilith was that in JOHD, she might start going by her full name. Said change isn't happening, so she'll still be called Vali most of the time.**

**Now, time for me to stop talking, and for you to start reading, so... let the first chapter of JOHD begin!**

* * *

**()** \- Albion or Ophis Talking

 **[]** \- Ddraig or Great Red Talking

 **{}** \- Crom Cruach Talking

 **«»** \- Consciousness of any other Sacred Gear Talking

〖〗 - Voice Speaking through a Magic Circle

 **「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

 **【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

 **⟨⟩** \- Custom Spell's Aria Chant

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

** Ruihi Satan: File 01 **

**A Devil who was made to be the artificial descendant of Satan through unknown means by Rizevim Livan Lucifer, who created her specifically to infiltrate Hell, and the Alliance by extension, as a mole; a task she's achieved well due to the birthright he gave her. While the method of him obtained any of Satan's DNA is unknown, what is known is he had Euclid give her the strength to fight Issei and Vali Lucifer.**

**Her Sacred Gear is the deadly Longinus known as Crescent Eradicator, which has Crom Cruach sealed inside of it. This power makes her the "Kokuryuukun" as she calls herself, as Crom Cruach has become the Black Dragon Emperor over the 2000 years he's gone off the Supernatural radar. While the potential power he gives her is unknown, she was seen annihilating a whole group of Hexennacht traitors with little effort.**

**Ruihi is currently dating a traitor among the Hero Clan, known as Itsuki Kuroshima, and has a peerage of four on her side. Despite her team's low numbers, all of her current retainers are Mutation Pieces, and she's managed to become the 10th best King among the Rating Games, a feat that's shocked everyone... though this is because they don't know the truth behind her peerage's origins.**

**Despite what Lilith believes, Ruihi had shown her face before during the Championship Battle of the Rating Game Tournament, though no one was able to recognize her due to the circumstances at the time. It was after the Second Great War had passed that she was completely finished, giving her the personality she has now, and using the aftermath of the damage to smoothly infiltrate under the guise of having just discovered her heritage.**

**For reasons she doesn't understand, she's noticed that Fiara Amore, the girl who would have been Satan's wife, seems strangely attached to her.**

* * *

**_ Season 7, Rise of Qliphoth Arc: Chapter 1 – Waking to a New World _ **

A bunch of kids were seen gathered in a room, with an annoyed Great Read walking into room, holding a book in hand. Everyone cheered as he arrived, with Great Red growling as he turned to look at the door.

"Ophis, this is stupid!" He shouted.

"You know why it's your turn to tell this story, even if I enjoy doing it." Ophis reminded him.

The Dragon of Dreams made an angry delinquent face, and sat down on the chair.

"So, kids... you're all wondering about the full story of Issei and Vali, am I right?" He inquired.

The kids all began giving excited sounds.

"Guess that's a yes. Well, then all of you kids take a seat... because you're going to hear the tale of how Issei and Vali both fell in love, and saved the world from the threat of so many who only wished to use their powers for evil." Great Red began.

He opened up the book, and began narrating the story.

* * *

_It all began when on a fateful June 6th, a baby boy was born in a village from the Hero Clan, while a baby girl was born in a remote area belonging to Rizevim Livan Lucifer. On that day, all the Dragons reacted to their sudden birth, realizing something special about them despite they couldn't remember why. However, this would also be a sign of the tragedy they would act._

_While still not even a year old, Rizevim attacked the village his family lived in, hoping to hunt down what he realized had been the birth land of the next host for my son. The boy that would become the 100th Sekiryuutei, and all for one reason... he was scared._

_See, he had learned a Prophecy made by Elohim and Lucifer, one that he did not want to happen because of what he planned for Trihexa, because it was a Prophecy connected to giving a chance to destroy the horrible monster._

_Despite his efforts, he was only met with failure, as all he ruined was a village, making the Heroes more alert than ever, while the baby Sekiryuutei made it out OK, with his father dealing a devastating blow to the madman._

_This same luck didn't apply to his granddaughter, who he began to abuse and shape into his own weapon, eventually pushing the 100th Hakuryuukou's mother to convince her daughter to stand up to him, knowing she may be killed, and wanting her to be free. As her mother expected, she met her end that day, but she managed to free Vali who ran away._

_It was clear at that moment that in his attempts to stop the Prophecy, all Rizevim did was prevent it, and guarantee the two would meet. Upon seeing each other, the two immediately made a powerful connection, and from there... everything began coming together._

_When the two became 10, Vali decided to go out on a training journey across the world, inspiring Issei to take martial arts himself. After another 7 years, Issei met his two cousins, and two friends, helping him get past the loneliness of his childhood._

_For Vali, she met her great grandmother, and was adopted by her, making a vow to restore Hell from the state the Devil Elders had left him in. She also got her Evil Pieces, having the friends she made becoming the first members of her peerage._

_Vali rushed home, reunited with her best friend, and it wouldn't be long before Issei would learn the truth about her origins as the Heiress to the creator of the Devils, because a rogue Fallen Angel named Raynare would kill him, forcing Vali to bring him back with her Queen piece. It wasn't long before the power of Ddraig awakened in Issei, and the true beginning of their story._

_First, they had to help Rias Gremory be free from her engagement to Riser Phenex, a union she didn't want for fair reasons. Exposing her existence to the Devils, she fought him in a Rating Game, proving her strength by giving him his first official loss. Following that, she and Issei finally realized their feelings, and just in time to deal with the arrival of Kokabiel._

_As the threat of another War came onto the horizon, Issei and Vali fought alongside the ORC and Student Council, but it wasn't until Vali pushed past the first stage of the traumatic grip her grandfather left on her that she gained the power to stop him through her DxD L form. As a result of her efforts, Rias made Kuoh Town her territory._

_However, it truly reached a fever peach when the Alliance was formed by the Christian Pantheon's revival, and the threat of the Khaos Brigade was fully exposed to the Supernatural World, bringing many battles to the twin Dragons._

_The Anti-Maou Faction Leaders, the dreaded Juggernaut Chimera created from both Juggernaut Drive curses, the three Worst Gods, the armies of the Second Great War, and the dangerous monster known as Yomi? They all challenged this duo, but they all fell, even death hadn't been enough to stop their efforts to fight for what they believed in. Such efforts helped connect the two worlds._

_It was after all of this that we all learned why, and what made Rizevim so desperate to stop the Prophecy in the first place... they were the reincarnations of God and Lucifer themselves, who had been the very ones that sealed Trihexa away for so long, lead to the Longinus being created, and the Super Devils coming into being._

_Such a promise was one they had only told the Dragon race, who only remembered when death tried to take the duo, leading to Great Red and Ophis lending the hosts of their children their strength, while also reviving the two. Following this, both of them finally married, not wanting to lose the chance for whatever could happen next. Together, all of these stories created their mark on the world, creating a Legend that everyone would remember._

_But that doesn't mean their story's over... there's still so much more, and that's a journey that will happen sooner than later._

* * *

***Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS - With the Wind plays***

**(*slow guitar strumming is heard*)** The sight of two energy dragons could seen flying across what looked a rainbow nebula; one being red, and the other being white. While they were cruising around, the sight of a familiar logo appeared.  
**(*guitar strumming gets faster and heavier, with a slight hint of winds blowing*)** Before either Dragon could react, a black rushed right past them, breaking the " **Legend** " in the name, which caused the other two Dragons to swirl around it, and repair it as a new word, leaving: " **Journey of the Heavenly Dragons** " as the logo's new form. With that fixed up, the black Dragon joined the other two behind the logo, leaving white, red and black from left to right.

 **(Just when we reached the end, it seems we're starting over again!)** At the redesigned Kuoh Academy, everyone saw Vali walking to view, giving everyone a friendly smile and wave. **  
(I'm making a wish for my dreams on this red star!)** The scene instantly changed to the Gym that she co-owned with Issei, who was currently training a class that included Millicas, Siarea, Cecilia, and Linkerus; as he watched, Issei smiled at the progress they were all making.  
**(I thought this battle had been won, but it seems we're not done!)** One by one, the scenes of the peerage member showed, with Homura, Asuka, and Seishi being the last three in the pattern of changing faces.  
**(Time to start again!)** The screen suddenly cracked, showing Ruihi had punched it with her fist, her peerage standing behind.

 **(The darkness will rise... and there's nothing that can be done.)** Dark lines zoomed from her, showing the main 10 members of Qliphoth from the lowest position, to Rizevim standing at the top, which zoomed up to show a Tree of Death representation, with Trihexa breaking from the middle with an open mouth; from it, he released seven dark streams.  
**(But it doesn't we can't fight!)** Each of the streams manifested one of the seven Evil Dragons that wasn't sealed in a Sacred Gear, each causing a form of rampage that was specific to the powers and personality they possessed.  
**(And that means we can gather everyone to conquer the blackness that's standing in our way!)** Issei and Vali were seen with many other Kings, all readying themselves and their peerages for something that was on the horizon. Ruihi landed before them, glaring intensely at Issei and Vali.  
**(With a white road to pave our future!)** Realizing the threat before them, the two rushed forward, while Ruihi unleashed her Rampancy Impact with all her strength. The intense attack ripped the area apart, blinding the entire screen with a bright flash.

 **(Fighting through all of the flames, quakes, winds, snow, floods, rain and storms!)** Issei rammed against Apophis' body, making the Eclipse Dragon roar as he lashed his tail like a whip. The Red Dragon Emperor countered with a powerful red burst that sent it back.  
**(The sun's lighting my path, and the moon's breaking through the walls!)** Vali unleashed a wave of magic towards Azi Dahaka, who opened all three of his hands to release magical flames, along with a storm of magical blasts. The White Dragon Empress spun around, surfing his attack like it was an ocean's wave.

 **(Just take a chance to move forward!)** The screen changed to show Issei standing by his peerage, revealing the ten known ones, alongside two other silhouettes. Although, his second Bishop looked quite familiar upon further glance.  
**(If you feel alone, don't worry because I'll join you on the path down this road!)** Vali's peerage soon took place of Issei's, with her twirling as all ten known members appeared, leaving two silhouettes hidden in the shadows.

 **(This is our final stand, let's take down this evil!)** The Twin Dragons fly through the air, their energies creating something like a DNA spiral. The spectacle ended when they smashed together, spinning into one form as they fused into Yuzuki, who opened her hand to reveal a mysterious butterfly.  
**(I will light the radiant fires of hope!)** Ruihi flashed into view, with her peerage, and many silhouettes hiding in the darkness. Smashing her Longinus' twin gloves together, she was instantly placed into her Scale Mail, causing the bronze eyes of something large to glow behind her.  
**(Gathering a blazing light of courage in hands, I'll create our tomorrow!)** Issei and Vali charged at her, glowing with their signature colors as they did.  
**(Come on everyone, let's go!)** Ruihi charged at them in response, making her Scale Mail turn into a silhouette with a familiar look to it, and creating a huge explosion made from every color in the rainbow.

 **(Yeah, let's go!)** Issei made a few fighting moves, followed by Vali unleashing some spells from magic circles that surrounded her, and finally ending with Ruihi zipping across the screen at speeds that only barely let her be recognized.

 **(*heavy strumming is heard once more*)** All of Issei and Vali's allies suddenly began flashing into view, landing in the background of the city they were falling towards. The three soon landed on the ground, taking the front of what was to be a group photo.

 **(We're starting over again!)** The three all did a different pose as a flash went off, with the logo appearing at the spot where their waistlines sat.

* * *

The sound of beeping reached Seishi's ears, making her grunt a bit as she tried to open her ears, and get up. The doctor in the room saw her finally waking up from her coma, and began helping her up.

"Here you go, up and at it." He said.

"Ugh..." She groaned.

Blinking a few more times, her eyes readjusted to the light, causing her to see the hospital room she was in. The brief moment made her fall back, forcing the Doctor to catch her again.

"Careful, while we can prevent muscle atrophy with magical techniques, you still need to wake them up." He warned her.

Blinking a bit, the white-haired Heroine shook her head, making sure she was fully awake from what she just heard.

"Wait, this is an ordinary Hospital, right?" She asked.

"Yes." The Doctor confirmed.

"And, did just say... magic?" She asked, shaking a bit.

It took a moment, but the Doctor finally remembered that Seishi had been comatose since the Second Great War had ended, which meant she knew nothing about the last 8 months.

"Forgive me, you've been in a coma for 2/3 of a year, and... things changed. Humanity is now aware of the Supernatural, including that you're different from a normal Human." He explained.

Seishi's eyes widened at that... eight months, she had been asleep for 8 months.

Thinking on that again made her eyes widen.

"My parents! Please, tell me where my parents are! They're alive... right?" Seishi begged, grabbing the doctor.

"I... I'm sorry, but I'm afraid they didn't survive the war." The Doctor sighed.

Seishi froze, her arms suddenly letting go as they clumped to the ground, and her head stared at the floor that was likely as cold as her heart currently felt.

"After the war, we searched for everyone that was MIA, and we found them. They were dead, but not for too long to be revived, so we had a Longinus Wielder try to revive them... the problem is they were killed by a Grim Reaper, so the deaths were permanent. I'm sorry that you had to wake up to such news." The Doctor apologized.

Lowering her head, the white-haired Hero began to cry, with eyes looking like they had hardened into stone.

"I should have been there... why did I say what I did? This is my fault, I have nothing now!" She cried, covering her eyes.

"I know it hurts, but I can assure you that I have something." The Doctor reassured her.

At that moment, she heard a paper being taken out, and she grabbed it to see what was inside.

The paper ended up being a Devil flier with the Lucifer Clan's crest on it, with a picture of a familiar duo taped onto it. Most of the world knew who these two were, but as she had been asleep for the last few months, Seishi wasn't one of them.

"Uh... who are these two?" She asked.

"You were adopted by relatives of yours while in your coma, and the two you see there? That would be your new brother and his wife." The Doctor explained.

"I don't remember seeing a relative like this, but that girly body makes it clear he's gotta be from the Akane family... so, who is he?" She asked.

"His name is Issei Lucifer." The Doctor answered.

Suddenly hear that response, Seishi suddenly froze up, and felt her eyes twitching.

"Wait, say what?" She replied meekly.

* * *

In another location, Issei suddenly sneezed, surprising him as it happened.

"What was that about?" Issei wondered.

* * *

Seishi put her clothes back on, which luckily still fit her despite the 8-month gap since she last wore them, and styled her hair back into her usual hairstyle. Said style revealed itself as a twin tail style held by purple Chinese buns. For her outfit itself, it looked to be casual clothing mixed with a Chinese Qipao, and a martial arts Gi, having a purple and white color scheme to it.

Realizing she that she honestly didn't have anywhere else she could go, and she was in no mood to just try surviving on the streets, much less take a lengthy trip back to the village her parents died in? Seishi immediately applied her Chi into the flyer, and was warped to the location it was set to... however, she found herself in trouble once she arrived.

"WHAT THE LIVING HELL!?"

A few Devils looked at her before walking away, having gotten used to non-Devil antics over the course of the past year. For Seishi on the other hand, she had nothing to prepare her for arriving in Hell, or rather...

"Why does everything look so different!? Please, I beg the of you... please let me have misheard the doctor say months when she really said 8 _years_ was how long I slept." The white-haired Heroine begged.

While there was still plenty of structures and designs that matched the Hell she had once been somewhat familiar with, everything had now looked much more high-tech than it had originally looked before. It seemed that in just eight months, the repairs to the Devils' home had also lead to bringing it into the 21st Century.

Took a deep breath at her erratic nerves, she decided to just turn towards the building she had been teleported in front of, and then saw its name.

"Maou Dragon Star Sports Gym?" She said the name.

"Excuse me!"

Seishi moved out of the way, causing her to see none other than Cecilia Belial head into the gym, making the Hero of Susanoo's bloodline to watch with a confused look on her face... then just give a shrug, finally walking inside herself.

Upon looking around, she saw no signs of Issei or Vali, just the various people who were either visiting, or actual members.

"Hmm... doesn't look like they live her, maybe this is just a business one or both of them run?" Seishi thought aloud.

"Welcome."

Turning her head, she looked to see the sight of Ravel Phenex. The last eight months had been kind to her as her already developed figure had grown to become quite voluptuous, and she was now around Issei's height, rather than a head smaller. She had also changed her hairstyle since then, exchanging her twin tails for something resembling a ponytail, which divided into four of her former twin tails' signature curls.

"Oh, uh... excuse me miss, I'm just-" Seishi replied, pushing a hand out.

"Around the same age as I am." Ravel interjected.

Seishi blinked a bit, and nearly fell back in surprise, leaving Ravel to give a small laugh at the scene.

"Your name would be Seishi Shiraishi, correct?" Ravel inquired.

"Huh? Wait a minute, how do you know who I am?" Seishi questioned in surprise.

"Simple, because I'm your adoptive brother's manager, and his First Bishop." Ravel explained.

The white-haired Heroine sweated at that, but soon cleared her throat.

"So, my new brother is... Half-Devil?" She inquired.

"That's a long story, but the short is no. He's a Hero that turned into a Devil." Ravel clarified.

Seishi's face went a bit blue at that, looking away with an awkward chuckle. Motioning her to follow, Ravel began leading the white-haired Heroine to another room, leaving her to try and calm her nerves.

"This is a... gym for Devils?" Seishi questioned.

"Oh no, it's free-range for every species, though admittedly Devils are here most often for the simple fact that it's stationed in Hell. This gym was built because Issei wanted to help inspire and train Devils to find their full potential, as he himself managed to go from a Low-Class to an Ultimate-Class Devil in one go, and in three months after being reincarnated." Ravel explained.

"W-wow... sounds like he's a superstar." Seishi replied, some awe in her voice.

Ravel giggled, looking at her.

"Admittedly, it was so everyone in Hell would be able to accept he was worthy of his wife, Valiana Lucifer, the Devil Princess herself." She answered.

"Wait, did you just say his wife name is... Valiana? As in the Princess of..." Seishi realized, her eye twitching.

She slapped herself, and silently took a deep breath to reduce her nerves before they exploded. She picked a good time to do it as they walked into the training area, where a class of young children were seen training, with Cecilia being one of the few among the class.

The teacher was revealed to be a familiar face, being none other than Asuka. While her figure did get a bit curvier, she didn't get much taller, and was mostly the same aside from a few inches on her hair. As everyone mimicked her movements, she stopped in place, holding her open palm into the air with a loose grabbing motion.

"Alright everyone, channel your aura through your veins to your hands, and call upon the power within you. Let me see you take things up a size." Asuka taught, channeling her own power.

Everyone saw her unleash her Chi, which manifested to be around half the size of her palm.

"OK, here goes." Cecilia told herself.

Holding out her hand, she focused her darkness power, trying to channel it at the size Asuka showed everyone. Watching the young Belial Heiress strain herself, the blue-haired Hero kept watch, readying herself to intervene if she felt Cecilia began pushing herself too far.

After a few seconds, the young heiress managed to spark out a sphere of magical darkness at that very size, and she bounced up and down in celebration.

"I really did it!" She cheered.

"Good job Cecilia, you can go take a small snack break." Asuka praised.

The sound of Ravel's throat clearing was heard, causing the blue-haired Hero to turn around, and notice Seishi was with her.

"Change of plans everyone, you can take a small break with her. We've got an unexpected guest I need to speak with real quick." Asuka corrected herself.

As all the young Devils joined Cecilia at a nearby snack table, Asuka used her fingers to whistle, getting the attention of a certain someone as they heard it. When she noticed that someone's attention had been caught, she smiled.

"Get over here guys, Seishi's finally awake!" She alerted them.

"She is!? Hold on, we're on our way!"

Jumping down from a high place, the sight of Homura coming into view could be seen, having grown out her hair to her hip-length, and growing a few inches taller. It only took a few seconds for her to be standing by.

"Glad to meet you, Seishi!" She smiled.

"Uh, who are these two?" Seishi questioned.

"Fellow Heroes, and all members of Issei's peerage like I am. Everyone?" Ravel answered, motioning to them.

Homura started them off, giving a wide smile.

"I'm Homura Akane, the only sibling of Issei's in the biological sense, and his Second Rook." She greeted.

"And my name's Asuka Aoyama, the other adopted sibling of Issei, and his Second Knight." Asuka greeted.

Easily recognizing those names, Seishi felt herself get a bit more comfortable.

"Uh... I'm Seishi Shiraishi, and... I guess that I'm your new adoptive sister/former cousin, I guess?" Seishi greeted back, feeling somewhat nervous.

"Glad to finally meet you for real." Homura smiled.

Seishi blinked in surprise, causing Ravel to move near her ear and whisper it.

"Issei, Vali, Asuka and Homura all visited you at the hospital when you were first administered there on your adoptive mother's request." Ravel clarified.

"Huh... why does that feel familiar?" Seishi wondered, unaware of the words they said to her.

Right as she said that, she felt something fly onto her head, making her look to see Rassei sitting on her head. Seishi screamed as she fell onto her butt, leaving Rassei to fly in the air, showing he had become twice his original size.

"Scared ya!" Rassei snickered.

"Rassei, what did I say about scaring people like that?" Asia's voice called out.

The young Sprite Dragon gave a nervous chuckle, seeing his master walk into view. Like had been the case with Ravel, the past eight months had Asia been quite kind to Asia's growth.

She was an inch or two shorter than Ravel, and had quite the busty, curvy figure; her hair was now in a twin tail style, though she oddly had a braid around the right tail, with a white ribbon with a shape resembling a butterfly. As she took her familiar in hand, she finally noticed Seishi, and gave her a smile.

"Ah, you must Seishi." Asia greeted.

"Let me guess... you're another member of Issei's peerage?" Seishi questioned.

"I am. My name is Asia Argento, and I'm Issei's First Pawn." She confirmed.

Rassei flapped his wings, snuggling against Asia's chest.

"And this is my Sprite Dragon familiar, Rassei... who's going to apologize for scaring you." Asia introduced, getting a bit stern with him.

"Rassei's sorry." The Young Dragon apologized.

It was at that moment that Ravel realize she had failed to introduce herself.

"Ah, that's right. I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Ravel Phenex." She apologized, offering a handshake.

Seishi took the handshake, giving an awkward chuckle in reply.

Right as this happened, the rest of Issei's peerage walked into the gym, with Issei and Vali leading the groups. Neither of them had really changed in the last eight months, almost like they hadn't even aged a day.

"Hey boss, Ravel took someone to the training room." A female staff member alerted him.

"Ah, then that would mean Seishi's finally gotten out of the hospital, and used the flyer to come here." Issei realized with a smile.

He turned around, looking at the other half of his peerage.

"Everyone, go get dressed and then meet us in the training room." He asked.

"Understood!" They all replied.

They headed to the dressing rooms, while Issei and Vali went to the training room themselves. As they walked in, Vali cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.

Seishi turned around, recognizing the duo as the two from the photo.

"Hey, are you two-" She realized.

"That's right. I'm Issei Lucifer, and this is my wife, Vali Lucifer." Issei confirmed.

Vali held out her hand.

"Uh... hi there, nice to officially meet my brother and sister-in-law." Seishi replied.

Vali giggled at that.

"You can just call me sis, or Valiana if you'd like." The Devil Princess smiled.

"Uh... alright then, sis." Seishi replied.

Vali giggled at that, giving her a strong hug, which made the white-haired girl blush in discomfort towards the sudden action.

"Sorry we took a while in getting here. We were dealing with some ruckus caused by a sect of the Vortex Bunch." She apologized on both their behalves, releasing the hug.

"Vortex Bunch?" Seishi repeated.

"They're a group of Humans who are Anti-Supernatural, and wants the divide between our worlds restored. They're just like an annoying gang, and worse? They're also hypocrites because they have Supernatural races among their ranks." Asuka explained.

Seishi groaned at that, shaking her head.

"There's always idiots like that, aren't there?" The white-haired Heroine sighed, going a bit quiet.

Issei read her expression, and turned her face towards her.

"I heard what happened to your parents. When the free time, I helped organize a search for them, so it was painful to see that we lost them. They aren't the only Aunt and Uncle the war took from us." He said, some apology in his voice.

"Huh?" Seishi blinked in surprise.

"The same Grim Reaper that killed your parents? He also killed mine, and... it hit me especially hard because had they left the Hero Village for something I asked them to come to, then they might have survived..." Asuka explained.

Seishi showed some surprise at that, and quickly went back to her normal expression.

"I see... it somewhat helps to know that my suffering isn't something I alone have to bear." She realized.

"Which is why I wanted you to come here first." Issei replied.

Seishi was confused, only to see Issei hold up his Second Bishop to her, making her eyes widen a bit.

"If anyone knows loneliness, then it would be me, and I'd like to give you a way to make the pain you'll feel from your loss sting a little less. That is, only if you want to. Either way, even if you don't like this offer, I'm willing to give you room and board in the castle." Issei offered.

"You want me as one of your Evil Pieces? Well... I don't know, while the boost would be helpful, I'm not sure I'd want to become a Devil." Seishi replied, feeling a bit uncertain.

"Then that's not a worry. You don't realize it because of how long you've slept, but Evil Pieces have been upgraded over the last year, so now reincarnation into a Devil is free choice if you're alive when accepting it." Vali reassured her.

Seishi's eyes widened at that, staring at the Bishop in shock.

"Whoa... guess that means I don't have much of a reason to decline." The white-haired Heroine realized.

Scratching her head for a moment, she made a scrunched face to represent her being deep in thought.

"Alright, guess it wouldn't exactly hurt." Seishi agreed.

"Glad to have you aboard, now let's bond that Bishop to you." Issei smiled.

Forming the signature magic circle, Seishi blinked a bit.

'Oh yeah, totally not nervous and uncomfortable right now... I mean it.' She chuckled worriedly.

Holding up his hand, Issei began chanting.

**"In the name of Issei Lucifer, I call to Seishi. Hear my command! Lend thy soul to me, and become a retainer under my household! Wake as my healer and clergyman!"**

The Bishop went into Seishi, marking her as the twelfth retainer in Issei's peerage. Blinking a bit, she tried to notice something different, but couldn't feel anything.

"Uh... did it work? I don't feel any different." She asked.

"That might be because you've been in a coma. Even with medical advances to prevent things like muscle atrophy, someone will still feel the disuse on their bodies after waking up, so a lack of using certain powers can make one feel like they're not even there." Ravel mentioned.

"So, I might notice the difference if I use them again? Sounds plausible to me." Seishi shrugged, just going with it.

A training outfit was suddenly tossed at her face, confusing her as Issei forms a magic circle on the training grounds Before Seishi could properly react, it turned into an advanced looking arena with boundary ropes.

"Let's get you back into fighting shape through a quick spar, your opponent will be Asia." Issei stated.

"Eh?" Seishi blinked.

She saw Asia get in the arena, pulling on some workout gloves as she did.

"Don't let her appearance fool you. While I admit she is the weakest of my peerage, that doesn't mean she isn't strong." He warned.

The rest of Issei's peerage began giggling a bit, with Vali playfully rolling her eyes in response.

After getting into the training outfit, she joined Asia in the arena, which prompted Issei to raise a hand into the air.

"Begin!" Issei shouted, swinging it down.

Seishi readied to give an attack... only for her to see Asia rush at her in an instant, and leaving the new Bishop open for a powerful fist. Everyone watched as she was launched into the ropes, and then slingshot into the wall behind the Pawn of Lucifer.

"What... was... that?" Seishi questioned, sliding down with every word.

"Exactly what I warned you about." Issei chuckled.

That was the last thing Seishi heard before she fell onto the ground, immediately blacking out.

* * *

The white-haired Hero rubbed her head as she woke up, noticing the sight of Rossweisse above her, who hadn't changed much at all in the last eight months.

"Ah, it seems you finally woke up." Rossweisse sighed in relief.

"Uh... who are you?" Seishi asked.

"Right, you were accidentally knocked out before Issei could introduced you to the rest of us." The Valkyrie recalled.

Seishi got up, up, shaking the grogginess from her head.

"My name's Rossweisse Brynhildr, the Queen of Issei's peerage. A pleasure to meet you." Rossweisse greeted, giving a slight curtsy.

'Whoa, this is his Queen?' Seishi thought, sensing her power.

"Good to finally meet you, Seishi!" Irina waved, suddenly appearing before her.

Seishi screamed in surprise, suddenly appearing on the opposite side of the room. Irina also looked fairly similar to how she did eight months ago, only gaining a few inches and curves to her body. Although, her hair did seem somewhat longer, and had become a shade closer to her mother's.

"Gee, and I thought I was the timid one." Yuuma giggled.

The white-haired Heroine looked in her direction, seeing the Fallen Angel in question.

Surprisingly, in the last eight months, she had actually lobbed off most of her hair, leaving it around neck length aside from two locks of side hair that reached to her chest, with a white hairband resting on her head. There was also the major addition of her body's voluptuousness, which wasn't too surprising because she was a Fallen.

"Uh... who are you?" Seishi blinked.

"Oh! Where is my head today? My name's Yuuma Amano, and I'm Issei's Second Pawn. The one who just invaded your personal space is Irina Shidou, and she's Issei's First Knight." Yuuma answered.

Seishi rubbed her eyes upon hearing that, having recognized the Fallen Angel's name. The brief flash between her old and new hairstyle made her scream in surprise.

"You actually cut your hair short!?" Seishi exclaimed in shock.

"Huh, didn't think you actually knew who I was." Yuuma remarked, slightly surprised.

Seishi began to laugh oddly, soon turning her head.

"Next thing I know, they'll be telling me that the Demon Princess is part of this group." She laughed.

At that moment, she turned back to see Kelsey had walked into the room, making her face freeze up in a very unnatural smile. The young Demoness coughed into her hand, and looked towards the door.

"Uh... hey there, I'm Issei's First Rook." Kelsey greeted.

"Oh god!"

Seishi sat herself back down, laughing a bit.

"That's it, I give up." Seishi forcibly laughed, holding her head with her palm.

Issei walked into the room, chuckling a bit as he saw his adoptive sister getting overwhelmed by the revelation of his remaining peerage members.

"I see you've met the rest of my peerage." Issei remarked.

"Yeah, and it seems like you've got a good team here." Seishi admitted.

"Well, it helps that there's two Longinus wielders among us." Issei replied.

The white-haired Hero's eyes widened at that, looking among the entire peerage she was just introduced to. Motioning his hand, Kelsey revealed the cross of Incinerate Anthem she wore, getting Seishi to gasp.

"That's Incinerate Anthem, one of the Holy Relics!" Seishi realized.

"And for the other? Well, since the evidence seems to show you didn't seem to know who I was before your coma..." Issei replied.

Holding out his one hand, the Boosted Gear revealed itself, making Seishi's eyes shrink as she saw it.

"Y-y-you're the... Sekiryuutei!?" The white-haired Heroine stuttered.

"Actually, I've been the Red Dragon Emperor ever since Great Red christened me as such, but yeah. Vali even has the Divine Dividing if you're wondering." Issei clarified.

"She has the what!?" Seishi screamed in shock.

At that moment, Issei actually began to make a worried face towards her reaction.

"I'm... starting to worry about why you don't know this stuff, because even Homura and Asuka knew more than you've shown." Issei remarked.

The white-haired Heroine went quiet at that, moving her head away from his gaze.

It didn't take long for Issei to realize he stepped on a landmine, and immediately shut himself up on the topic. There was obviously something that Seishi hadn't said, and was likely planning to keep it that way, if not just withhold the truth for now.

"Come on, let's get back to that sparring match. I was just caught off-guard at the time it happened." Seishi asked.

"Alright then. If still you're up for it, who am I to stop you?" Issei agreed, shrugging his arms.

* * *

Returning to the arena, Seishi once again stood across from Asia, this time with everyone in Issei's peerage watching.

"Are both sides ready?" Issei asked.

"Ready!" Both replied.

Nodding his head, he lifted a hand up into the air once again.

"Begin!" Issei shouted, swinging it down.

Asia rushed ahead like before, but this time? Seishi was ready as she put up a guard with her arm, and got into a certain stance, which Issei quickly recognized.

'That's the same kind of stance Susanoo uses before some of his attacks. Fitting for the Hero Family that he chose to bless.' He realized.

" **Ionic Arcana!** "

Purple rings of electricity shot through her arms, causing her eyes to flash the same color as they briefly gained an electric ring in each.

"That's her Hero ability, isn't it?" Kelsey questioned.

"Yeah, the Ionic Arcana's a power that you can best describe as a living storm that charges up the user to let them manipulate unique electrical currents, slightly control use magnetism, and give them some other powers, like self-flight." Asuka answered, explaining the power in detail.

Seishi dashed at Asia, charging up her fist.

" **Electra Slammer!** "

Asia held her palm out, creating a small magic circle to take the attack.

"Whoa, that's a solid defense you have." Seishi remarked.

"Thank you." Asia smiled.

Clapping his hands, the two turned to see Issei, who walked up to them.

"Alright, think that's good enough for now. You two will end up going into a full-blown battle if you don't stop here." He decided.

Seishi sweated a bit, making some of Issei's peerage stare at her.

Right at that same moment, an alarm went off on a watch Issei was wearing, making him notice the time.

"Hey guys, we better go. Ruihi's about to start her Rating Game against Diehauser." Issei warned them.

"Who's Ruihi?" Seishi asked.

"The heiress of the Satan Clan, and she's a powerful Devil with strength that even Issei and I can vouch for." Vali answered.

Seishi blinked before shrugging, failing to notice everyone staring at her for not reacting to there even being a Satan Heiress.

'Yeah... I'm going to need to ask my parents about that when we get the chance.' Issei thought worriedly.

* * *

Within the new and improved Rating Game stadium, a crowd of people was seen as they watched the current Rating Game that was happening, showing the sight of Jeanne facing off against Saji's Longinus form.

On the side of Jeanne's peerage, all of the Hero Faction's Elites (minus Liue Bei and Cao Cao) and Kiba were seen. For Saji's peerage, the members were the members of the New Student Council, along with a few Kuoh Academy students who had already known of the Supernatural prior to the war. On the sides where the retired members were, Liu Bei and Ouryuu were seen, being the respective advisers of each peerage.

" **This battle is mine, Jeanne!** " Saji exclaimed.

"I don't think so!" Jeanne replied.

Jeanne slid across the stadium, prompting Georg to unleash the Dimension Lost's signature fog, and make her completely vanish. Saji looked around, knowing she wasn't invisible.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**And it looks like Jeanne's called upon her Bishop's power to hide in another dimension!**

Saji opened his mouth, breathing out his signature black flames across the battlefield. However, from the other dimension, a rain of Holy Swords flew down, surprising the host of Vritra.

" **Blade Blacksmith!** "  
" **Hauteclere!** "

All of the holy swords stab into Saji's Dragon body, making him scream as the effects of the holy light mixed with Hauteclere's purifying abilities. His body glowed blue, signifying that Saji had been retired.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**Game over! The winner of this Rating Game is Team Heroic Blades of Longinus! Once again, these newcomers have shown us their incredible prowess by adding another victory to their newly formed record!**

The crowd cheered as Jeanne waved at them, joined by everyone in her ream.

At that moment, in a VIP Room especially for members of the Lucifer Clan and their retainers, the sight of Vali's peerage was seen. They were waiting for the next Rating Game between Ruihi and Diehauser, while also wondering where Issei's group was.

"I hope that Issei's group isn't in any trouble." Lavinia hoped, looking the same as she did nearly a year ago.

"Someone call for us?" He replied.

All 9 members of Vali's peerage turned their heads as they saw Issei's group walk in with their King.

"Thank goodness, you made it on..." Lavinia smiled.

The Absolute Demise's wielder saw Seishi among the group, and gasped as she realized who she was.

"Is that who I think it is?" She asked.

"Yep, adoptive sister number two, and Issei's new Bishop, Seishi Shiraishi." Homura confirmed.

Seishi gave an awkward smile at the new group, waving her hand.

"Allow me to introduce you to the members of my peerage." Vali replied, beginning by motioning to her half-sister.

"This is Lavinia Reni, my half-sister and my Queen."

Lavinia waved at the white-haired Heroine, a huge smile on her face.

"Le Fay Pendragon, my First Bishop."

Le Fay giggled, showing she had become a lot taller, and her hair grew a bit longer.

"Kuroka Toujou, my Second Bishop."

Kuroka give a giggle that make Seishi suddenly feel that she should be worried about the Black Nekoshou, who's figure had only gotten all the more voluptuous over the last eight months. She had also changed her hairstyle, which was now in a side tail style.

"Tobio Ikuse, my First Knight; the woman by his side is his wife, Sae Toujou, and my Second Knight."

The two waved at her, neither of them having changed much since they had already peaked in that department.

"Sun Bikou, my First Rook, and the new Monkey King."

The Monkey Youkai chuckled a bit, now having a build closer to Sairaorg's, and a pipe that smelt like burnt bananas.

'Wait, is he smoking banana leaves?' Seishi questioned.

"Arthur Pendragon, the older brother of Le Fay, and my Second Rook."

Arthur bowed in reply, with the only main change being he cut his hair, resembling something like Cao Cao's.

"This is Yumina Lucifuge, the Lucifuge assigned to me, and my First Pawn."

Yumina gave a toothy grin for a moment, looking just as unchanged as the Prince and Princess of Hell.

"And this is Arthur's wife, Elaine Westcott, while also being my Second Pawn."

Elaine closed her eyes, and gave a warm smile, the only real differences being her longer hair, and curvier figure. Through her chi, Seishi was easily able to tell that they were incredibly powerful, especially Tobio and Lavinia.

"Hmm... this is a guess based on my introductions with your peerage, but do Vali's Queen and male Knight have Longinus as well?" Seishi asked.

"They do, the Absolute Demise and Canis Lykaon respectively." Issei confirmed.

Seishi sighed in relief, glad she had _somewhat_ expected it this time, even if only from what she sensed through her Chi.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**And with that match done, it's time for the special event you've all been waiting for! Diehauser's yearly challenge has once again been made, and this year? He's chosen the descendant of the Maou he represents among the council of the Great Devils!**

**Now, let's bring in Team Black Satan of the Darkness King!**

Everyone cheered as Ruihi and her peerage began walking from the shadows, leaving Seishi to see five silhouettes.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**She's as dark as the deepest black, and has wrathful rage that makes even the mightiest animals cry in fear! I give you, the Heiress of the Satan Clan... Ruihi Satan!**

Ruihi walked into view, instantly sharpening her gaze, and terrifying the entirety of the crowd.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**She's got a boundless spirit of innocence, and her friendly charm is a nice balance to her King! I give you, Ruihi's Queen... Verrine Zhihua!**

The jade-haired Devil waved to everyone, and then gave a wink, making her male fans scream in excitement.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**He's quiet, with a soul that's been hardened like the towers of a castle wall, this man's the perfect fit for a Rook both physically and mentally! I give you, Ruihi's Rook... Balberith Chronis!**

Balberith didn't show much reaction, just walking into the battlefield.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**This kid has got the energy of a fusion powered engine, but without the radiation, and he's always open for a conversation! I give you, Ruihi's Knight... Sonneillon Ahearna!**

Sonneillon flashed a thumb's up, a glint going off from the teeth he showed through a teeth grin. All of his female fans cheered at the sight of it.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**And last, but definitely not least, the timid and silent member of the group, who truly shows looks can be deceiving it by the magical potential he can slam against an unsuspecting eye! I give you, Ruihi's Bishop... Gressil Huaman!**

No one saw him leave, forcing Ruihi to immediately walk back, and drag him into view, where he began shaking in fear. In response to this, he grabbed the paper bag once belonging to Gasper, which managed to calm his nerves down.

"Gressil, stop being such an embarrassment. You could have put the bag on _before_ you walked out." Ruihi said with a flat expression.

"I'm sorry..." He apologized.

Seishi moved her head towards Issei, giving him a look of confusion.

"Gressil is extremely timid, enough he usually has to hide his face to be willing to even make a small measure of conversation." The Red Dragon Emperor explained.

"Yikes, does that make him the weakest link?" She questioned.

"He's definitely the weak member of the team, but he's still a powerful Bishop due to a technique special to him. It's a testament to how Ruihi's earned the spot of the 10th Place in the Rating Game's Top 10." He answered.

Hearing this, the white-haired Bishop's eyes widened.

"With a peerage of just 5?" Seishi exclaimed.

"That's right. She's only a few spots behind me and Issei, who are 7th and 8th among the Top 10 ourselves; even in my case, I'm only higher because I had a large team until you joined Issei." Vali confirmed.

A battlefield showing a forestland formed as the battlefield, with everyone turning translucent as a special effect was put up to guarantee their safety, and that no one had to hold back to avoid harming them by mistake.

**【** **Naud** **】**  
**The battlefield is set, and this Rating Game has been decided as a Rush Battle, which means everyone's abilities have their usage of power doubled, while halving their rate of recovery!**

**Now, let the Rating Game... Begin!**

Both sides immediately rushed out against each other, with Ruihi and Diehauser's eyes meeting despite their distance.

* * *

**There you have it for JOHD's first chapter. I'll admit it may feel kind of plain and lackluster, but since it's coming after a time skip in a very changed world, this initial chapter's getting things settled in before Qliphoth finally makes their move. Anyways, we now have a new member in Issei's peerage through Seishi, who was the in-story representation of you readers not recognizing the changes to the world during the time skip.**

**For a few details I should explain before anything else, let's start with the world itself. You'll notice that it's become a bit more technologically advanced compared to before. The reason behind that comes from the Demons' magical technology, combined with the knowledge of Humanity, and other Supernatural races, meaning technology hasn't increased as much as it's simply developed to its full potential.**

**As for why Issei decided to set up a Gym of all things for his business? He has a few reasons for it, with the first being the training he took as a child, which developed his main fighting style. The other is with how his efforts have inspired young Devils like Linkerus, and the lack of the business he got through becoming a High-Class Devil while under Rias' peerage, making a gym seemed like the best fit, especially as it has synergy to Sona's school.**

**Like I said at one point during LOHD, while this story will still have them (and their new peerages) show up, Rias and Sona are now minor characters, mostly in part to the fact they've headed to Kuoh's College division. As you'll see below with the listed peerages, Jeanne and Saji have taken their places in this story, and have been promoted to secondary characters.**

**Then for the last detail before I'll actually get to the End Notes, the role of Advisers in peerages. Due to the advisers for teams in canon's Azazel Cup, and Lilith's plans for an international version of the Rating Game Tournament, the idea of having an aid for each peerage as a non-combatant member seemed like a good idea. This was supported by how Tiamat and Fafnir being too strong for most RGs, and the fact I couldn't fit every Hero Faction Elite into Jeanne's peerage.**

**Now, with all of that out of the way? Time to actually get to the end notes.**

**Having been bedridden for all of LOHD's final arc, which she debuted in, I'm glad to finally have Seishi be in the story for real. I think a few people might have considered she'd end up in Issei's peerage, if only because with Asuka being a Hero of Tsukuyomi's bloodline, it might have seemed obvious a Hero with the blood of Susanoo was a given. Her character wasn't shown very well, but as Issei noticed, that's because of something I can't show just yet ;)**

**Another surprise for most of you? The epilogue of LOHD implied that Asia had gotten stronger, but I bet you never expected she'd be able to do what she did. I wanted to give Asia a role beyond just a healer, so one part of the time skip was to make her able to fight around the same level as her team, which is why her time skip design is based on a favorite character of mine (Einhart Stratos from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) who's small, but powerful.**

**Then my favorite part? Ruihi's about to have a Rating Game, and it's against _Diehauser_ of all people! You'll finally get to see the powers I've given to Verrine, Balberith, Sonneillon, and Gressil; all of which I find fitting, and strong. With all of that said, the last thing I'll say is that my DxD mojo has gone into a burnout after finishing LOHD, so it'll be a while before you see a second chapter for this story.**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**

**P.S: While I can't answer every question (due to spoilers that some have), feel free to ask me any questions if you're confused about something.**

* * *

**Issei's Peerage** **:** Team Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth

**King: Issei Lucifer  
Queen: Rossweisse Brynhildr  
Bishops: Ravel Phenex, Seishi Shiraishi  
Knights: Irina Shidou, Asuka Aoyama  
Rooks: Kelsey Akumaji, Homura Akane  
Pawns: Asia Argento, Yuuma Amano, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Tiamat**

* * *

**Vali's Peerage** **:** Team White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star

**King: Valiana Lucifer  
Queen: Lavinia Reni  
Bishops: Le Fay Pendragon, Kuroka Toujou  
Knights: Tobio Ikuse, Sae Toujou  
Rooks: Sun Bikou, Arthur Pendragon  
Pawns: Yumina Lucifuge, Elaine Westcott, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Fafnir**

* * *

**Saji's Peerage** **:** Team Unchained Flames of Vritra's Prison

**King: Saji Genshirou  
Queen: Millarca Vordenburg  
Bishops: Momo Hanakai, Kyuji Enno  
Knights: Tomoe Meguri, Ryuuji Tsuchida  
Rooks: Mai Kazamatsuri, Masato Mizuhashi  
Pawns: Ruruko Nimura (x3), Tadami Kamo (x3), Yukihiko Hoderi (x2)**

**Adviser: Ouryuu Nakiri**

* * *

**Jeanne's Peerage** **:** Team Heroic Blades of Longinus

**King: Jeanne d'Arc Yuuto  
Queen: Unclaimed Queen  
Bishops: Georg, Connla  
Knights: Kiba Yuuto, Siegfried  
Rooks: Hercules, Perseus  
Pawns: Leonardo (x5), Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong**

**Adviser: Liu Bei**

* * *

** Bust Size of New Female Characters/Time Skip Updates ** **:**

**Seishi Shiraishi - 98 cm**

**Ravel Phenex - 99 cm**

**Asia Argento - 99 cm**

**Le Fay Pendragon - 97 cm**

**Kuroka Toujou - 102 cm**

* * *

** Brief Summaries of Abilities/Equipment/Terms in Today's Chapter ** **:**

**【** **Ionic Arcana** **】**  
**The signature power of the Shiraishi Family of Heroes, which allows the user to supercharge the electricity of their natural synapses. This allows them to manipulate a unique form of electrical currents, magnetism, and empower their bodies.**

* * *

** Pairings List ** **:**

**Issei/Vali - Married  
Ddraig/Albion - Married  
Tiamat/Fafnir - Married  
Ophis/Great Red - Married  
Saji/Sona - Engaged**  
**Gasper/Valerie - Dating**  
**Kiba/Tosca - Dating  
Hina/Nanami - Married  
Sairaorg/Kuisha - Engaged  
Rossweisse/Vidar - Engaged  
Jeanne/Cao Cao - Semi-Dating  
Arthur/Elaine - Married  
Bikou/Xuelan - Unknown Status  
Tobio/Sae - Married  
Kouki/Natsume - Engaged  
Shieri/Hyousuke - Engaged  
Ruihi/Itsuki - Dating  
Asia/Leonardo - Unknown Status  
Yumina/Connla - Unknown Status  
Xenovia/Sieg - Unknown Status**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back everyone! Before we begin, know that I'm still in my DxD burnout, so until I say otherwise, chapter updates will have long gaps between them. For now, we have today's chapter, which is focused on the amazing game between Ruihi and Diehauser, where I'll finally be introducing the latter's peerage, and you'll get to see the just what kind of powers I've given to Verrine, Balberith, Sonneillon, and Gressil.**

**Something that I'd like to clarify here is the team name that Ruihi used in the previous chapter is just a public cover, the real name of her team is "Team Black Dragon Emperor of the Darkness King", which they can't use for the obvious fact it would literally be holding a sign over her being the Kokuryuukun, which is something she's not trying to advertise due to her status as a mole for Qliphoth.**

**Oh yeah, speaking of that, no one actually knows about the "Kokuryuukun" yet, as if they did? Well... recall how calm Issei and Vali were in Chapter 1? If they knew someone existed that had the strength to rival them, we wouldn't have seen them smiling like that. Although, it won't be much longer before the truth comes to light, so it's only a matter of time... *plays an ominous jingle***

**As a friendly reminder, if anyone has questions relating to the time skip, and as long as the answers don't contain spoilers, feel free to ask me. Things like how Jeanne and Saji became Kings (although "Heavenly Dragons: The Side Series" will eventually reveal it), where certain characters are, how the world's physically changed, and etc. are all things I'll have a better chance of answering, so keep that in mind.**

**Now, one other thing before we start this chapter? I'd like you all to know that there's another major story in the series, though not part of the trilogy, that will begin at some point during this one. This story is called "Heavenly Dragons, the Movie: Birth of the Prophecy", and as the title itself likely tells you... this story will be about this trilogy's version of the Great War!**

**I originally planned for its events to happen in here, but I soon realized it would be too big to show everything I want without dragging the whole arc out, and most of all, since it's about the Great War, known for having legions of casualties... I'd need to make this story M-Rated to include it. As such, I decided to make it a story of its own.**

**This announcement is important because it can happen at any time, with certain information being exposed here being what decides when it can be made, and when the story begins, it'll cause this story to go on a hiatus since I technically consider the movie part of JOHD's events. I'll let you know when the movie will begin, but I figured that all of you should know about it in advance. Now, with that said...**

**During the process of writing this chapter, I forgot about Shin DxD Vol 1's release date, and after seeing it, I now have something important that I need to tell everyone. I normally try to incorporate some details from the newer novels into my story if I can, but this is the first time new information isn't as easy to work with. Namely, its related to a major reveal in this volume, so skip ahead to the story if you don't want to be spoiled.**

**Said revelation is that Issei has his Queen, and her name is... Ingvild Leviathan, and she's also Half-Human, because she's the "Nereid Kyrie" wielder. I'll admit that I still haven't decided how I'll be working with this, other than my story doesn't allow her to be a Longinus wielder due to how I've developed the Leviathan Clan in my story. Right now, she'll either be Ineelana's guardian, or the original Leviathan herself.**

**With all of that out of the way, time to begin this chapter! Let the Rating Game... Begin!**

**P.S: Due to two of the Maou bloodlines having Longinus wielders, a friend and me are starting to think this isn't just a coincidence. As such, if it gets revealed in the future the wielders of the Star Buster Star Blaster, Unknown Dictator, and/or Alphecca Tyrant end up have the blood of Asmodeus and Beelzebub in them... *holds up a jar* I'm gonna eat this entire jar of Habanero Peppers.**

* * *

**()** \- Albion or Ophis Talking

**[]** \- Ddraig or Great Red Talking

**{}** \- Crom Cruach Talking

**«»** \- Consciousness of any other Sacred Gear Talking

〖〗 - Voice Speaking through a Magic Circle

**「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

**【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

**⟨⟩** \- Custom Spell's Aria Chant

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

** Trihexa: File 01 **

**A horrible and terrifying monster with unknown origins, having little information known about it, though what is known makes it terrifying... such as it ties with Great Red and Ophis for the spot of the World's Strongest Being, requiring the two to team up just to guarantee its destruction. Although, this was during the time of the First Great War, making it questionable if this is still true in the present day.**

**No one's directly sure when the monster first appeared in the world, but it's believed it was at least prior to Izanami's death and capture by Yomi, as the similarly terrifying creature stated to be its spawn during the Second Great War, but at least after the births of Izanagi and Brahma, since neither they or God were able to sense anything that hinted to its presence.**

**When the efforts of Izanagi and his children rescued Izanami from Yomi's clutches, the monster himself began taking a more active role, and actually managed to sink his influence into God, resulting in their divide from Angels into the Four Great Powers, all by having Lilith imprisoned to intentionally set Lucifer off, all without God being aware. Samael was made during this time, and could therefore be considered another of Trihexa's spawn.**

**During the Great War, he finally made his appearance before God and Lucifer during their last battle, leaving only the two of them and the other Maou to be aware of its existence until Rizevim learned of him, and shared this info among the Khaos Brigade's members, leading to Gavauren Mammon to reveal the truth of the beast, who had been a mere myth.**

**Knowing the monster's threat would risk the world being brought to complete destruction, Lucifer gathered the Maou to help him and God make the ultimate sacrifice. Combining all the power they could, they successfully managed to seal Trihexa away, though at the cost of splitting Pangaea into 10 continents, and making Lemuria disappear without a trace for the next 2000 years.**

**It was later revealed many actually knew of Trihexa, especially those of the Dragons, who the two called upon before their sacrifice, but all of their memories were erased until the Prophecy that signals the possible chance of Issei and Vali destroying the monster was exposed to them, allowing everyone to regain their memories, including some secrets the higher ups are still unsure should be revealed.**

**Right now, the monster still sleeps, however... its revival is approaching, and it _will_ happen. As of now, the only hope for the world is the prophecy is right.**

* * *

**_ Season 7, Rise of Qliphoth Arc: Chapter 2 – The Wrathful Rating Game _ **

Both sides stared each other down, waiting for Naud's signal.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Now, let the Rating Game... Begin!**

And with that, both sides made their first moves, with Ruihi looking at Sonneillon.

"No more holding back." She stated.

"Wait, you mean that we can..." Sonneillon asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Ruihi nodded, making him cheer.

"OK, here I go!" He exclaimed.

" **Transcendence Charge!** "

Sonneillon rushed ahead suddenly creating an army of himself behind him, and surprising the entire crowd as for the first time in any of Ruihi's matches, she had allowed the unthinkable... the usage of her retainers' true power!

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Are we really seeing this, or did Sonneillon just multiply? I may be crazy to say this, but considering he's only now revealing this, could it be possible Ruihi's refused to let her team use their true strength just for this one Rating Game!?**

Seiji blinked at that, looking at Issei.

"Wait, you mean he's never used this in any Rating Games prior to this one?" She asked.

"Not even once, and to be honest... I don't think I've ever seen her Queen actually fight beyond some martial arts. The only things we know about Ruihi's team are her own abilities, that her Bishop is a Magic user, her Rook is a Prana user, and her Knight is a Chi user." Issei answered, explaining a bit.

"Holy crap..." Seishi breathed.

Diehauser focused his gaze on the Sonneillon army, and then turned to his Half-Elf Bishop.

"Navarre, can you spot where the real one is?" He asked.

Gazing her eyes across the area, she focused her sight on the multiples of the Satan Knight, soon gaining a gleam in her eyes.

"Locked on, I'll take care of him now." She replied, holding a hand out.

" **Targeting Mark.** "

One of the many Sonneillon's suddenly had a marking appear on his chest, making him look at the symbol her Sacred Gear had formed.

"Alright, time to finish this."

Holding both her hands up, she formed a bolt of lightning, and then tossed it forward.

"3, 2, 1, and... fire." Navarre counted.

" **Sniper Bolt.** "

The lightning bolt shot forward, and smashed right through the Sonneillon with the marking.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Ooh! Sorry folks, but it looks like only minutes after the match has begun, Ruihi Satan's already suffered a-**

Before he finished, a puff of smoke came from the Sonneillon that Navarre hit, making her eyes widen in surprise as it wasn't the light of the retirement system. Everyone in the crowd gasped at that.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Wait, hold on... he's still in the game! Did Navarre miss her target for once!?**

"That can't be, that was clearly the real... wait." Navarre wondered.

At that moment, she saw that the real Sonneillon had moved to a different spot, far from the original's location.

"He switched places at the last second?" She realized.

The Knight of Satan smirked before jumping into the air, which all of his doppelgangers did as well, before they all began forming chi in their hands.

"Let's see how you handle this!?" They all said together.

" **Variant Vertigo!** "

They all released a Kasha out, making them all collide with one another... and then move in erratic members that couldn't be calculated by physics!

"Quick, spread out!" Diehauser ordered.

His peerage scattered into four directions, while he himself jumped back, leaving the crazy Kasha began aiming themselves at his peerage members. Navarre soon ran by the side of a Dwarf, one of Diehauser's two Pawns.

"Get ready." Navarre warned.

"You've got it!" Vafrorlig answered, puffing his chest out.

Grabbing an axe from his side, he swung it down, smashing through all of the Kasha that came out them.

" **Domination Force!** "

Before either of them could react, a focused pressure struck them in the gut, and sent them flying.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Whoa, where'd that come from!?**

"From me."

The two took a moment to get on their feet, seeing Balberith crack his knuckles by simply flexing his fingers a certain way.

"Hurts, doesn't it? Especially since my attack is near impossible to see in terms of speed and visibility." Balberith stated, adjusting his wrists as he said it.

"What... did you just hit us with...?" Vafrorlig asked.

"Simple, that pure physical force you were just slammed with. Think of it like the impact of gravity if you could focus it in any direction like a physic attack." The Satan Rook explained, pulling his hand back.

He thrust out his attack again, making the Dwarf Pawn swing his axe at the attack... only for it to shatter, and send him crashing into his Bishop teammate, who barely managed to keep them both from falling back.

"No way, he shattered it so easily!" The Pawn of Belial with wide eyes.

"So, she has a Knight with incredible speed that has a swarming ability to fit it, while her Rook's viciously strong with a power that's literally pure power weaponized to work beyond close-combat... thinking what her Bishop could do scares me, much less her Queen." The Elf Bishop remarked, raising her guard.

Balberith motioned his hands in a challenging manner.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
And Balberith's just called the two out! With what just happened to Vafrorlig's weapon, I wonder how they'll react to it.**

Navarre sweated at that.

'I hate to say it, but we'll be doing it carefully...' She thought.

* * *

Gressil suddenly panicked, seeing the sight of a Diehauser's other Bishop and one of his Rooks near him, which were a Kitsune and Werewolf respectively.

"If memory serves us right, he's the weakest among the group. Taking him out first should be the best option in gaining an advantage. Not to mention I can smell how scared he is through the pheromones he's sweating out." Raze said with a toothy grin.

"Eh?" Gressil blinked.

He lifted his arm up and sniffed, failing to notice any kind of odor... which the two sweat dropped at.

"I'll check him out first, just so you know what you'll be expecting." Kuzu-no-Ha suggested, walking ahead of her teammate.

Raze shrugged his arm, walking back a bit.

"Let's get this started." The Kitsune smirked, holding a hinotama in her hand.

Gressil put his hands out, creating multiple, blue-colored magic circles that showed the Satan crest, then released a few weak squirts of water. Kuzu-no-Ha blinked as they lightly sprayed her, making her laugh.

"I guess you're too scared to properly focus your magic!" She realized.

She swung her hand forward, releasing a storm of Hinotama from the one in her hand, which all flew towards Gressil.

"OK, here goes..." Gressil breathed through a whisper.

" **Supremacy Magia: Amplifier!** "

At that moment, more magic circles layered behind the ones she already had, turning the weak squirts into high-pressure geysers. The hinotama all fizzled as they were washed away, leaving the Belial Bishop's eyes to widen as she was blasted deep into the ground.

"What the hell!?" Raze screamed.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
A moment everyone, this is something I'd like our analysts to check!**

Looking at some of his media crew, one of them showed him the results they gathered, and he looked surprised, yet intrigued.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Everyone, it seems that Gressil has the ability to amplify his own spells! He purposely used a weak one to drop the enemy Bishop's guard before using the moment to his advantage! Not only that, but the amplified spells used as much magic as their default form!**

The crowd went silent briefly, and then gave a loud cheer.

"Impressive, that's a fitting power for a Bishop, and I don't think I've ever heard of someone who can amplify their own spells." Elaine remarked.

"Ruihi really knew what she was doing when she chose her peerage." Kuroka agreed.

* * *

Sonneillon and his doppelgangers were all rushing around Diehauser's Queen and his second Rook, which were a Daeva and an Oni.

"Got any ideas on how we face this?" Crusher questioned, scratching his purple skin.

"Yes, he's likely using his Chi to make these doppelgangers, and swap places with any of his doppelgangers if he needs to. Due that, in theory, it means taking out a good number of them will weaken him." Aadhya analyzed.

Crusher smirked at that, slamming his double-edged Mace into his hand, which immediately released electric nodes that began sparking out high-voltage lightning.

"Good, then I'll sweep the floor with them!" He exclaimed.

Spinning his arm around, the two halves bent forward, and then threw it forward. The two mace heads flew out, then extended their nodes into electric whips, which incinerated the areas of the ground they struck.

All of the Doppelgangers gave surprised looks as they were instantly hit and zapped away.

"Whoa!" The real deal shouted, ducking under the attacks.

Back flipping a bit, Aadhya slammed her palms together, making his eyes glow before the ground rumbled around the area. Sonneillon looked down before shining cracks appeared, and then an explosion went off, making the crowd cheered loudly.

The Belial Queen and Rook smirked at the sight... only to both gasp as Sonneillon took deep breaths, holding his arm a bit.

"Aw man, that was a close one." He sighed in relief.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
That was a close one! If he was any slower, he'd have been out of the game!**

Sonneillon noticed he didn't have a lot of Chi left, so he had to play smart to avoid being retired, which would be hard since both had attacks that could hit a large group.

'OK, let's think... that Oni's attacks seem to be within the area of his peripheral vision, while the Daeva Queen's might surround him like Balberith's defensive trick He'll be the tricky one unless I could get them to share focus.' He thought.

His eyes widened as he snapped his fingers.

"Yes, got it!" Sonneillon exclaimed.

"Be on guard, it looks like he's got a plan." Aadhya warned his teammates.

Crusher nods, readying his weapon once more.

"And here I... go!" Sonneillon shouted.

A bunch of smoke went off as the Satan Knight looked like he had moved, but he didn't... or at least just barely. The two watched, expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

"Psyche, now here I go!" Sonneillon giggled, rushing at the two.

"Really, that was your plan?" Aadhya sighed.

he held out his hand, unleashing a huge Prana burst at the Knight of Satan... only for him to burst into smoke.

"Am doppelganger!?" The Belial Queen exclaimed.

He soon realized what Sonneillon's fake rush was, and immediately turned around.

" **Sonic Smasher!** "

Unfortunately, he was too late, as Sonneillon appeared right in front of the two as he released a concentrated Sonic Boom, immediately striking them with an explosive force. Aadhya retired in an instant, with the Satan Knight wiping her forehead with a smile.

"My feint worked!" He cheered.

"Not... so fast!" Crusher shouted.

The Knight of Satan's eyes widened as he turned to see Crusher was retiring more slowly, giving him enough time to swing his mace forward. Sonneillon was immediately wrapped by the electric whips, making him scream as lightning coursed through his body.

At that moment, Crusher finally retired, and Sonneillon's crispy form shook for a few seconds. The next moment, he fell onto his back as he retired as well.

"Guess that's what I get... when I let my guard down..." He apologized to Ruihi.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
The Queen and one of Diehauser's Rooks, as well as the Knight of Ruihi, have been Retired!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 4 | Diehauser Belial: 7]_

The crowd cheered at that, clapping loudly.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Both sides have managed to start whittling down the other side's numbers, though it's still a 2 to 1 advantage in numbers!**

Diehauser watched from his spot, keeping his hidden Knight ready.

'Let me see how you'll react to whatever me and my team do next, Ruihi Satan.' The Rating Game Champion thought.

* * *

Ruihi heard the announcement, and looked towards Verrine.

"He may have been taken out while he was distracted, but he managed to get the closest defenses to Diehauser out of the way. I think it's time I go after him and the Knight that's lurking around him." Ruihi stated.

"Want me to send you over?" Verrine asked.

"One slingshot throw requested." The Satan Heiress confirmed, giving two thumbs up.

Both of them heard something coming.

"Looks like he's sending this other Pawn over to us, now give him hell." Ruihi smiled.

Verrine giggled at that, and soon motioned her arm out, leaving Ruihi room to jump onto it. After aiming towards the area that Balberith was fighting in...

"Ready?" Ruihi asked.

"Launch!" Verrine exclaimed with a loud cheer.

She tossed Ruihi forward, making the Second Pawn's eyes blink as he felt a strange wind blow overhead.

" **Rampancy Impact!** "

"Huh?" Leonidas's eyes widened as he saw her flying overhead.

Holding her left hand behind her, she used her power to propel herself, while her right hand unleashed a weaker force that was focused like a drill of energy. Leonidas tried to chase, only for Verrine to immediately rush in front of him.

"Sorry, but you're fighting me." Verrine waved.

The descendant of Leonidas I backed up, readying his two swords... right as Verrine put her hand out.

"Huh?" He blinked.

"I'm giving you a fair chance by letting you go promote at our base." She explained.

"Hey, are you mocking me!?" Leonidas shouted angrily.

"No, just thought I'd be a good sport, but if you want me to start the fight-" Verrine answered.

The Belial Pawn immediately took the offer, making the Satan Queen giggle.

* * *

Gressil panted a bit, multiple magic shields put up around him as Raze began smashing through them with his serrated claws, grunting as the pressure of his attacks were getting to the Bishop of Satan.

"Gotcha now!"

Gressil yelped as he turned around, seeing Kuzu-no-Ha finally got herself out of the ground.

"Uh oh..."

"Take this!" She shouted, swing her claws out.

Gressil bent over a bit to evade the Kitsune Bishop's slashing, and while he managed to dodge the attack...

*RIP*

Everyone paled, including both of Diehauser's retainers.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Uh oh, this won't be good...**

Gressil's face was exposed, as the ripping had been his trash bag, and in just a few seconds, he did the one thing he would in this kind of situation.

Scream at the top of his lungs, making Kuzu-no-Ha and Raze cover their ears in pain, both of them being animals with much more sensitive. The crowd winced a bit, realizing they were in pain.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Here's an idea I think the crowd will agree with me on, which would be to give magical protection to everything that she uses to hide his face from the public! At least our ears aren't in agony like those two!**

The crowd all nodded at that, right as the Bishop and Rook of Belial fell to the ground.

Luckily, the screaming stopped as a spare bag appeared by a magic circle, which landed right over Gressil's head, making him calm down.

"Huh? Oh, no one sees me face now? Thank goodness." Gressil relaxed.

Kuzu-no-Ha immediately had her eyes glint, and rushed at the Satan Bishop, who immediately yelped as he was locked in her hold.

"Get her now, Raze!" She shouted.

"You've got it!" He smirked.

He took a deep breath, charging all the energy he could into his throat.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Uh oh! Looks like Gressil's outburst worked against him, because Kuzu-no-Ha is about to sacrifice herself to let her teammate take him out!**

"OK, time for my trump card!" Gressil exclaimed.

Dozens of red magic circles formed around them, making Kuzu-no-Ha blink.

"Hold up, are you trying to self-destruct yourself? All that will do is keep Raze from having to waste his-"

" **Supremacy Magia: Fusion!** "

Half of the magic circles suddenly became yellow, and fire shot out... before suddenly moving like lightning, and moving to zap Raze, which immediately set his body on fire. Another one managed to hit Kuzu-no-Ha, which knocked her back.

Everyone in the crowd gasped as they saw this, with Gressil falling forward, but getting back on his feet unharmed.

"No way, you can... fuse spells together?" Raze asked in surprise.

Raze collapsed onto his knees after saying that, right as he and Kuzu-no-Ha were finally retired.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
One of Diehauser's Rooks and Bishops have been Retired!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 4 | Diehauser Belial: 5]_

Gressil heard the crowd give applause, making him blush shyly as he waved.

'Ruihi, please get me out of here!' She begged.

* * *

Verrine hummed a bit as she waited for Leonidas to return, and after a bit, she immediately shifted her head, causing him to rush right past her.

"How'd you do that?" He asked in surprise.

"My reaction speed is 0.05 seconds, which is double for most people who train it to the limit." She explained.

That surprised him.

"It doesn't matter, I just need to be fast enough to hit you!" He smirked, holding his swords up.

He slammed his two blades together, causing the swords to begin vibrating, and transform themselves into a V-shaped laser rifle. The Satan Queen showed surprise at the sight of it.

With a mighty scream, he unleashed a powerful blast, making the crowd cover their eyes from the flash.

"Oh yeah, how'd you like my magic swords!?" He smirked.

"That was a nice shot!" She admitted.

Leonidas and the entire crowd gasped as the smoke cleared, showing Verrine's neck had a slight burn mark. After she rubbed it for a moment... the burn suddenly vanished!

"Huh!?" Leonidas exclaimed in surprise.

"I also have a few other powers. There's my shock absorption to soften the blow, and wound recovery to heal things like burns, cuts, and anything that's not the pain and damage that lingers, or something like an amputation." Verrine answered.

"Seriously!? What else can you do... oh god, I actually said that out loud." He exclaimed, then paled at his last words.

Verrine giggled a bit, swinging her hand out to make a few magic circles, and releasing a powerful series of beams at the Belial Pawn. Quickly rushing away, he soon began a charge at her from behind.

"Nuh uh!" She smiled, moving her finger.

Everyone suddenly gasped as she made Youjutsu symbols, immediately releasing a light mist. He rushed right through her, revealing an illusion as she reappeared at his side, then firing off a Chi burst at him.

He stumbled a bit before he got back on his feet, panting as he tried to calm himself from the shock.

"Wait, but you just-" Leonidas gasped.

And then he was struck hard by a fist empowered with Prana, and sent him across the ground, ravaging the landscape that he flew across.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Wait a second, hold the phone! Am I seeing this correctly, or... did Ruihi Satan's Queen just use ALL of the primordial energies!?**

The crowd murmured in shock, unable to believe it themselves.

"I don't believe it... I know it's been said that Humans could have the potential, but that's just to develop any of the three in large numbers." Vali remarked, amazed at the sight.

"Normally only Dragons can do that, and I definitely don't sense anything Dragon about her." Issei replied.

"However she did it, she's incredibly versatile for managing to achieve such a feat. It's no wonder that girl ended up as Ruihi's Queen." Seishi stated.

Leonidas readied his blades, sweating a blade.

"OK, you may be strong, but you're not unbeatable!" He stated.

"I know, when I spar with Ruihi, I usually lose." Verrine replied.

Leonidas nearly face faulted.

'I can't tell if she's being literal, or just trying to throw me off by being cutesy!' He thought.

He rushed at her, spinning his swords to strike her.

Verrine held up her left hand, swinging it around to parry all of her blows, and then swung her leg around for a roundhouse kick. Leonidas' eyes widened as he felt Chi and Prana smash into his stomach, before slumping.

"I... knew that Aadhya... should have come here!" He gasped.

Leonidas' body soon glowed as he was retired, with Verrine looking at the ground, closing her eyes as she waved to the crowd.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
One of Diehauser's Pawns has been Retired!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 4 | Diehauser Belial: 4]_

The crowd cheered, with Diehauser looking mildly impressed.

'You've chosen your peerage well, but this Rating Game is only just beginning.' He thought.

* * *

Balberith saw Navarre and Vafrorlig jump down at him from both sides, and he immediately slammed the ground.

" **Force Field!** "

The former's spell and the latter's spare weapon struck against an invisible dome of force, pushing both of them away from his current position. Right as they readied for a second try...

"Hold up, do you hear something?" Navarre asked, an odd look on her face.

"Yeah, it sounds like something's searing through the sky." Vafrorlig replied.

Balberith motioned his eyes, and simply walked away, confusing the two members of Diehauser's peerage as he did.

"Hey, why are you-" Vafrorlig questioned.

Before he could finish, Ruihi rushed by, causing the force of his Rampancy Impact to smash into both him, and Navarre, which immediately caused them to disappear into blue light.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
And that's two more Retirements for Diehauser's Peerage, leaving only our Champion and his Knight left to stand against... oh god, I never thought I'd say this, his first defeat!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 4 | Diehauser Belial: 2]_

The crowd went silent as that realization hit them, and a single question entered their minds...

Could Ruihi actually beat Diehauser?

"Alright, looks like we'll be gunning for the Champion now, just need to wait for Verrine, and then we can catch up with Gressil." Balberith remarked.

Right on cue, a magic circle made of Senjutsu was seen, and Verrine jumped through it.

"You called me?" Verrine smiled.

"I swear that was intentional." Balberith sighed, rolling his eyes.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
And in a sudden surprise, Ruihi's Bishop has just been Retired!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 3 | Diehauser Belial: 2]_

That caught the trio by surprise, all of them turning to where he had been, noticing no signs of a fight.

"Wait, what just happened!?" Ruihi questioned.

〖"Ruihi, are you there? Can you hear me?"〗 Gressil asked worriedly.

Ruihi tapped the magic circle.

"Yeah, I hear you. Can you tell us how you just got retired? None of us saw anything." Ruihi inquired.

No initial response, making Ruihi groan as she tapped her foot.

〖"Actually, that's the weird part. I was walking through the forest to try and spot you all, but before I could even react, some kind of shadow swallowed me up, and then I found myself in the retirement stands with Sonneillon."〗 He answered.

"You didn't see what happened at all?" Ruihi asked in surprise.

〖"No, but I'm pretty sure it had to have been Diehauser's Knight that did it. Didn't you tell us before the match that no one's ever actually seen it because of how it fights?"〗 Gressil confirmed.

Ruihi thought for a moment, and scratched her chin.

"OK, guess we'll just have to trust our own judgment. Ruihi out." The Satan Heiress replied.

She cut the magic circle, turning to look at her remaining teammates.

"Keep your guards up, it looks Diehauser's Knight took out Gressil before he could properly react to it." She warned them.

"Should have known." Balberith sighed.

Holding up his hand, he screamed before slamming it down, creating a downward line of force that uprooted the entire forest area where Diehauser and his Knight were stationed. The Rating Game Champion stared at them unchanging, making the trio ready themselves.

"Looks like he's confidence." Verrine remarked.

"Of course he is, we still haven't drawn his Knight out... until now." He stated.

He swung up, screaming loudly as he eyes shined, causing the area before him to explode. Diehauser held up his hand to keep himself safe, but due to the Rook of Satan's action, a small shadow was seen flying in the air.

Moving around, the shadow soon shrunk, revealing its identity as... a three-legged Crow!

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
We've finally seen it, Diehauser's Knight has been revealed, and it's the legendary Yatagarasu! No wonder we couldn't see it!**

"Of course, it's fast, and attacks quickly in the shadows using its small size to be nearly invisible." Ruihi realized.

Yatagarasu screeched before suddenly disappearing, causing it to surprise Balberith as he was suddenly swallowed by its shadows. It screeched as it prepared to take down the Satan Rook in the same manner as Gressil.

"Oh no, Balberith!" Verrine exclaimed.

"Get after Diehauser, this little runt's not gonna make me look weak enough to beat instantly." He demanded.

Slamming his hands together, he used his great force to suddenly strike himself and the shadows, making the three-legged Crow screech in pain as they were caught in a lock. The crowd watched intensely as he held the Crow Spirit down, gritting his teeth.

"Alright, thanks for making it this far." Ruihi agreed.

"Good luck bro." Verrine replied.

Both of them rush towards Diehauser, and the red-haired Rook soon screamed as he made so much pressure with his force, a huge explosion went off, making the crowd gasp as both him and Yatagarasu laid on the ground.

"How do you like that... you cocky bastard?" He smirked, looking at Diehauser.

With that, he and the Knight of Belial both vanished, marking their retirement, causing the crowd to cheer loudly.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
In a kamikaze blow, the Rook of Ruihi Satan has managed to force Diehauser's Knight to Retire, leaving him alone to face the Satan Heiress and her Queen!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 2 | Diehauser Belial: 1]_

At that moment, the last two members of Ruihi's Team stood against Diehauser, who immediately threw off his Great Devil cloak, showing his usual battle outfit as he readied himself to stand in the battle directly. The crowd went wild at that.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
This is everyone, we may be seeing history today! While this isn't the first time Diehauser has entered the battlefield... this is the first time he had no choice but to walk in! If he gets taken out, then Ruihi will win!**

Ruihi turned to Verrine, a serious look on her face.

"It'll be dangerous for me to rush in from the start, take the lead on this fight." She asked.

"Got it." Verrine agreed.

She rushed ahead, and then took flight before she held her hand out, forming hundreds of magic circles in the air. Diehauser raised his hand as she simultaneously unleashed massive blasts of Magic, Chi, and Prana at the Rating Game Champion.

As the smoke kept glowing, she was suddenly blindsided as Diehauser rushed at her directly.

" **Worthlessness!** "

A ripple of aura phased through her, causing his aura to overlap against her, and suddenly make her shake as she felt weak, making Ruihi's eyes widen.

'He already figured out how to negate _all_ of her powers? How is that even possible when he's only just seen all of her tricks in this match!?' The Satan Heiress questioned, only now realizing her error.

"Forgive me... Ruihi..." Verrine weakly replied.

At that moment, Diehauser released a point black blast of Sacred Darkness, making the Satan Queen scream as she was hit by all of it. She fell towards the ground, and retired before she even hit the area where Ruihi tried to catch her.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
And our Champion manages to take out Ruihi's Queen in only seconds! Now, this Rating Game is nothing more than a battle between the Kings, a true sudden death to decide victory!**

_[Ruihi Satan: 1 | Diehauser Belial: 1]_

Ruihi gritted her teeth, looking at Diehauser with a focused glare.

"The gloves are off now!" She declared.

She screamed loudly, unleashing a powerful surge of from her own anger, making Diehauser show some brief surprise before he regained his focus. With that done, Ruihi charged forward to truly begin the final battle.

**「** **Sonic the Hedgehog: Solaris Phase 2** **」**

Diehauser held his hand out.

" **Worthlessness!** "

The ripple shot out, but Ruihi flipped over it, and then slid under the next strike. That was the moment she snuck to his side, and smashed her fist into the Champion's side, and knocked him back a bit, making his eyes widen at the strength of the blow.

"You're a lot stronger than you look, but it isn't enough." Diehauser replied.

"That's good, I wanna make sure you take all of my anger before you fall to the ground!" Ruihi shouted, charging forward once more.

Ruihi began moving even faster, showing incredible speed as she began striking Diehauser even faster than he could properly react to her, and forcing him to hold up his arms in a guarding position.

" **Raging Lightning!** "

Smashing the ground, a powerful burst of lightning shot forward, making Diehauser stumble. Ruihi used this chance to deck a strong right hook to his face, and then a left hook to his gut.

He felt his limbs shake a bit, showing signs of semi-paralysis across his body.

" **Rampancy Impact!** "

Ruihi slammed both of her hands forward, smashing into the Champion's body, and blowing out a huge portion of the land in response to her strength.

"This is it, you're gonna lose!" Ruihi screamed, diving right at him.

"I'll admit, you're stronger than I expected you to be, however... you've still underestimated me." Diehauser replied.

He held out his hand, blocking her attack.

" **Worthlessness!** "

Ruihi's eyes widened as she was hit by the attack, making the audience gasp.

" **Imperial Force!** "

Ruihi was struck back, making her fly towards a tree, looking unconscious as she did. This made everyone watch as it looked the match had been ended with the Heiress of the Satan Clan being defeated like everyone before her.

**「** **Insert Song Paused** **」**

From the stands, her peerage all watched in horror.

"No, it can't be..." Gressil said, his voice shaking.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
She hasn't retired just yet, but it looks like this match is over, and Diehauser's winning streak is still unbroken!**

Ruihi was about to near one of the few remaining trees, and then...

**{I can't believe they think this is over, how about you show them otherwise?}** Crom smirked.

"Gladly..." She whispered, giving a toothy grin.

**「** **Insert Song Resume** **」**

At that moment, Ruihi suddenly got up to the shock of everyone that wasn't her peerage, who instead showed their own forms of joy as they saw her land on the tree, which began to break apart just from her feet landing on it.

"You made a fatal error, and now... you'll see just what I mean! Time for me to show the full level of my strength!" Ruihi exclaimed.

" **Rampancy Impact!** "

Everyone gasped as the apparently negated power shot forward again, but this time instead of red, it had the same gold as her eyes, revealing its true form to the crowd. At that moment, Diehauser was somewhat frozen.

'She didn't use its full capabilities, which meant my Worthlessness didn't understand enough to work on it! She's not even showing my aura on her body right now!' He thought with shaking eyes.

And that brief moment of dropping his guard make the full force of the attack slam against him, making him stumble back quite a bit.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
No way, could this... could this be it? Will we actually see Ruihi make the impossible finally become possible!?**

"You will, because these last 8 months... I realized that my Rampancy Impact isn't my true bloodline ability! I found out the real power of Satan's blood when combined with the darkness!" Ruihi announced.

Such a claim surprised everyone.

"Now way, is she being serious? Is her Rampancy Impact really just a powerful attack that hides something even stronger?" Issei exclaimed, his wide with disbelief.

"Wait, my mom once mentioned Lucifer felt Satan had a strong power against Holy Light... is this it?" Vali replied.

Ruihi rushed forward, ready to finish the match.

"I will... win!" Ruihi screamed.

She smashed her fist into Diehauser, pushing him against the ground as her own strength's recoil pushed him back up.

"This is for the man that I'm descended from, my victory goes out to you!" Ruihi promised.

" **Shadowy Dusk!** "

At that moment, everyone's eyes widened as a surge of shock waves made from Darkness formed, making the area within the battlefield look like nightfall had come, with a full moon illuminating it.

The surge of darkness that came out rivaled that of Vali's Ethereal Twilight, but without the light.

"That's all Sacred Darkness!" Asuka gasped.

"Now I get it, this is what my mother meant! Satan also had great potential for the Sacred Darkness, and its why my father wanted him to be his left-hand man!" Vali realized.

Diehauser screamed as the darkness overwhelmed him, with all of soon covering the battlefield, and blinding everyone.

**「** **Insert Song End** **」**

After a few more seconds passed, the darkness began to fade away, slowly letting everyone see the result of Ruihi's true bloodline ability. She was seen standing, panting as her team uniform was shredded apart, and then...

Diehauser was seen on the ground, before he slowly vanished by the retirement system.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
T-this is... I don't believe it... she did it.**

At that moment, Naud turned the volume to max as he lifted his microphone into the air, causing him to announce something no one expected him to say for a long time, if ever.

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
She's done it! Ruihi Satan has done what no one else ever has, and scored victory against Diehauser Belial in this battle! I repeat, she's defeated the Champion of the Rating Games!**

Everyone exploded in cheers, with Ruihi panting a bit, feeling a bit surprised by everyone's cheers.

"They're... cheering for me?" She asked.

**{You earned this victory through your own sheer force and efforts, don't question their applause for you.}** Crom smiled

At that moment, the Satan Heiress raised her hand up, hearing the cheers grow larger, and making her give a rare smile after a few seconds... before she slumped onto her knees.

'That match took all I had, though beating him without Crom's power means I shouldn't have much to worry about.' Ruihi thought.

And with that, she collapsed on the ground, pretending to black out.

"Ruihi!" Sonneillon shouted, rushing out to her.

Her team all helped her up, following her feint as they left the area, with Vali smiling at the results.

"You look happy." Issei chuckled.

"We could never beat him, so the fact Ruihi basically gambled a lot to obtain this victory? I think all my fellow Maou Heirs are cheering right now... although there is the one downside." Vali replied, sighing a bit.

Issei sighed himself.

"Uh... why are you two sighing?" Seishi asked, looking confused.

"Because, when Diehauser became a Great Devil, the one condition Lilith had for him to keep playing the Rating Game was that he stayed undefeated. Now that he's lost, he has to retire, and that means neither Issei or Vali get the opportunity to beat him in a Rating Game." Irina explained.

"Oh... guess that is kind of annoying if you wanted to beat him in battle." Seishi realized.

Issei got up, looking at her.

"Well, come on. I guess it's time to head back." He stated.

Before anything could be said, a bunch of screens popped up, showing Lilith's face on them, which immediately got the crowd's attention.

**【** **Lilith** **】** **  
Hey there everyone! Before you start leaving your seats, I'd like you all to hear an announcement that I'd like to make in response to the surprise result of this game. Naud, may I take over for a moment?**

**【** **Naud** **】** **  
Go right ahead Lady Lilith, the floor is all yours.**

The Devil Queen smiled at that, clearing her throat as she began her big announcement.

**【** **Lilith** **】** **  
As everyone knows, since the Rating Game Tournament that my daughter won ended, I had been planning another at an international level. That's why, with such a fitting timing for Diehauser's defeat... I hereby announce the official date has been confirmed!**

Everyone in the crowd gasped, making their eyes widen.

**【** **Lilith** **】** **  
We've made great progress with the other races' reincarnation systems, and now we feel it's time to bring the Rating Game's rankings into a global level. With Diehauser defeated, the rankings wouldn't be the same due to his retirement condition, so I hereby declare until the Tournament comes, while Rating Games can still happen... the rankings are hereby reset, and frozen!**

"Then, that means... everyone's considered on equal ground right now!" Vali realized.

Everyone in the crowd began to murmur, but while most were happy, they still didn't exactly know what it really meant. That was when the Mother of all Devils resumed her announcement.

**【** **Lilith** **】** **  
I understand that this is a big announcement, though I think you'll all be excited because the other Faction Leaders have already agreed to enter it themselves. Even more, you don't need teams that are your own peerage, and rotations will be allowed, but best of all... Diehauser is allowed to compete, and even the other Great Devils are myself are going to be participating!**

With that, silence rang out through a simultaneous gasp, before everyone cheered at levels that could make one believe they just heard an explosion go off from outside the stadium.

**【** **Lilith** **】** **  
The tournament will happen a year from now, as with the coming threat we all know of, we all have a bigger focus. Until then, enjoy yourselves until the moment comes. And now, Lilith out!**

The screens vanished, and with that... a new energy of excitement filled the air.

"I think your mom planned for this." Issei chuckled.

"You _think_ she planned for it? She's been your mother-in-law for nearly a year, so you should know how she thinks by now." Vali replied with a giggle.

Seishi blinked a bit.

* * *

When they finally arrived, the white-haired Heroine's voice gave a dry and scratchy sound of shock from her throat, completely unable to believe in the sight that she saw before her very eyes.

In a certain area connected to the territory of the Lucifer Clan's castle (and possible connected to it as a result of her being able to see it) sat what was a rich Japanese family's estate. In fact, Seishi couldn't even see the entire area of its borders, already seeing a huge garden.

"This is your home..." Seishi asked, her eye twitching.

"Yep, this was part of the areas that me and Vali picked out for ourselves here in Lucifaad, so we decided to settle around here. Lilith linked it with the castle for reasons related to ease of access." Issei confirmed.

Seishi gulped, though it was lessened then she remembered that Vali was Devil royalty.

"Uh... do you really need this much room?" She asked, following the others inside.

Right as she asked that, she heard a slight screech, and turned to see what looked to be eleven baby Dragons playing around in an area opposite to the garden.

"Wait, why are these Dragons here?" Seishi asked.

"All of these little Dragons are my Familiars, they hatched after their parents died in the Great War, so I took them all in." Asia smiled.

"Oh right, you said you were a Dragon Tamer." Seishi recalled.

Vali put a hand on Seishi's shoulder, relaxing her a bit.

"Everyone in our peerage uses the land for various things, and the extra is just in case we need it for something new or existing. We've got an area for our Familiars, minus Tiamat and Fafnir, who stay in Lemuria when we don't need their help. The garden is to grow most of our own food, or to use at the gym. A pond area for fish in case we need them, and a similar area for any livestock. Then we some-" She began explaining.

"You can stop now Vali, say anymore and you might start terrifying me..." Seishi begged.

The Lucifer Heiress gave a playful laugh at that.

"Sorry, is this a bit much for you?" Issei apologized.

"No, it's alright. This just reminds me of an estate-sized version of the village I used to live in." She reassured him.

"I really need to go visit the Hero Faction's territory one day, I don't remember my birth land." Issei remembered.

Seishi tilted her head, and then realized what he meant.

"Oh, you mean _that_ village..." The Lucifer Bishop realized, having heard of that story.

"Still shocks me those terrorists were right about the next host of Ddraig having been born there." Asuka remarked.

The white-haired Bishop nodded.

"Well, how about we go inside now?" Issei suggested.

"Yeah, although I don't really have a room." Seishi remarked.

Yumina pulled a book out of nowhere.

"Would you like to see my catalog of available rooms?" She asked.

The white-haired Heroine's upper face went blue as her left eye twitched, giving an odd laugh.

'This will take some getting used to...' She realized.

"You all go on ahead, it's time for me to feed the Dragons." Asia replied.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Vali smiled.

They all went inside as Asia grabbed some Dragon Apples, and a few other things for the baby Dragons.

* * *

Once they got back to the Satan Clan's territory, Ruihi peaked her eyes open, and got back up.

"Good job reading me you four." She stated.

"If you were really that wiped after that attack, then you'd be a wimp." Balberith remarked.

Ruihi punched his arm, making him rub it.

"Saw that coming a mile away." Sonneillon chuckled.

Gressil let out a slight giggle himself.

"Fiara's not gonna accidentally walk in at a bad time, is she?" Ruihi asked.

"No worries, we told her you were just resting, so she won't be bothering you until we tell her you've woken up." Verrine reassured her.

"Thank you, now I can tell Rizevim about what I've done." She replied, forming a magic circle.

As she made contact, Gressil held out his hand to disrupt any chances of someone accidentally catching wind of her conversation. After waiting for a few seconds... a certain old geezer showed up.

〖"Hey, who wants me!?"〗 Rizevim exclaimed, giving some jazz hands.

"I want to strangle you right now if that's what you mean." Ruihi replied in annoyance.

〖"Fine, fine. You hate my joke. Just ignore and let me know what you're calling me about."〗 Rizevim chuckled, waving his hands out.

Ruihi's entire peerage sighed, all having their King's dislike of the exiled Lucifer.

"I managed to win against Diehauser in my Rating Game, so I wanted to know if that meant anything." Ruihi explained.

〖"Oho! So, you actually beat the Champion!"〗 Rizevim cackled excitedly.

Thinking a bit, he smirked.

〖"Yes, enough with hiding the Kokuryuukun's existence. We're still dealing with the Hexennacht traitors, and a Marius let a Vampire slip into Kuoh Town as part of his next move, so let's get my granddaughter and grandson-in-law aware enough to be drawn into our plans... so we can destroy them."〗 He decided.

"So, time for me to actually fight them. I've been waiting for this." Ruihi smirked.

**{"I'll speak for you, that way no one will find out who you are until it's too late."}** Crom replied.

"Good thinking, I was wondering how we should approach that." She agreed.

Cutting the magic circle away, she cracked her knuckles a bit, turning towards her peerage with an excited look.

"Go meet up with Itsuki, and I'll say we've taken a short trip to explain our absence during _my_ appearance. It's time I set our next moves into motion." Ruihi stated, releasing a faint glow from her eyes.

* * *

Seishi looked around in amazement, realizing the hose had a unique design to it, including the decor, yet still felt cozy.

"It's simple yet unique, grand yet comfortable. I guess it makes sense you prefer to live here over in the castle directly. You've even got easy access to your gym." She realized.

"Vali and I lived most of our lives in Japan, so this felt more comfortable for us, and both our peerages. Key example is over there." Issei replied.

Kuroka was seen curled up in the corner, taking a nap.

"That's not really surprising, Nekomata of any kind would do that." Seishi replied, not surprised for one.

Looking to the side, she noticed Elaine humming as she cleaned.

"Why's she doing housework by herself?" She asked.

"My wife used to be a maid for the Pendragon House while my sister and I lived there, with my relationship with her being why we left. As a result, she's the sole maid for the house, since she prefers to keep herself busy." Arthur explained.

"Wouldn't expect that considering you said she's a descendant of William Wynn Westcott." Seishi chuckled.

At that moment, Lavinia suddenly felt a glow in her pocket, making everyone look as she took her wand out.

"Hello?"

〖"It's Rudiger, I need to know if Issei and Vali are nearby."〗 Rudiger answered.

"We're all here, so what's up?" She asked.

He sighed a bit.

〖"Something crazy, lately... we've kept hearing from Hexennacht members trying to intercept our lines for conversation, and they're _begging_ for us arrest them."〗 He explained.

"Wait, beg? That doesn't make any sense." Rossweisse remarked.

〖"I know, and that was my main concern... until they suddenly became very afraid. It seems that something they've had no way to identify is actively hunting them down for betraying the Khaos Brigade after it was brought down. They say all they know is that it destroys everything related to them, leaving anyone that finds out what they are to be killed."〗 Rudiger clarified.

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"OK, that's not good, for our enemies to be hunted implies there's something we could gain if we helped them." Issei realized.

〖"There's only one group left nearing Kuoh Town, so we'd like it if you could try and stop whatever's threatening them."〗 Rudiger requested.

Issei and Vali stood up.

"We accept, this is definitely a bad sign towards what may happen. We can't let any clues slip us by." Vali agreed for both of them.

〖"Thank you, the details will be sent to Lavinia's wand, so good luck."〗 Rudiger replied.

Lavinia's wand stopped glowing, and everyone got up.

"Guess this is how I'm broken into this team." Seishi stated.

"Yeah, now let's hurry." Issei replied.

* * *

**Yep, that actually just happened, Ruihi managed to give Diehauser his first lost! (If he has had a confirmed loss in canon, then I have not heard of it/forgotten about it) I did my best to show that luck played a factor, such as Gressil losing the paper giving him a good situation after he got locked in place. Not to mention she had the advantage of Diehauser not understanding her Rampancy Impact enough to negate it.**

**Also, we've now revealed the true Satan Clan ability, which I will say was not me changing my mind, as Satan did die while before he was still human. Not to mention, if she's the Black Dragon counterpart of our main duo, then she needs a power on a similar level to theirs. As for the members of Ruihi's peerage? I chose to give them powers based on their Evil Pieces, since they influenced them into Mutation Pieces.**

**For Sonneillon's power, I got it from mixing a few powers we've seen in canon ourselves, especially through the visuals of the HERO season. To be specific, his power is a mixture of Beruka multiplying himself to counter the Sword of Betrayer, the Glory Drag Trooper, and Rossweisse's one spell that let her swap places with Gandoma, and trap him under the effects of Liban's Gravity Jail, all in one.**

**Balberith's was a bit trickier, as I wanted to be a long-ranged Rook due to how the small bits of his power that we know from canon are described. Luckily, seeing that one punch Sairaorg made in his duel with Issei, which released a strong recoil, I got my idea. From there, I added the pressure of gravity, and controlling it like telekinesis, which resulted in a powerful ability.**

**Gressil ended up being the easy one, as while we've seen two people merge their attacks, and Gasper tasting Issei's blood is sort of a magic amplification, it's never been something common. Not to mention when they do happen, it takes two people to do it, so I decided to make Gressil someone that could do it alone. Plus, if he can make a weak spell turn into a dangerous one, and barely use that much magic? It sounds powerful to me.**

**It was ultimately Verrine that ended up giving me the most trouble when decided on her powers, as I wasn't sure how to represent the Queen piece in the form of an ability. Eventually, I realized that my problem was I had been focusing too much on surpassing Balberith's power, so I decided to give her three abilities that fit the other pieces, and then a fourth one to represent the advantage a Queen piece has.**

**While her powers aren't as flashy as her brothers', it's their synergy that gives her strength. As I didn't want to make her seem too overpowered, that resulted in her gaining shock absorption as her Rook trait, higher reaction speed as her Knight trait, wound recovery as her Bishop trait, and then her Queen trait being the face she's the only non-Dragon that can use all three primordial energies, where some like Kuroka can barely use two.**

**Despite they won, the victory only has some merit because the rankings have been reset for everyone, in preparation for the International Tournament we'll eventually show in DOHD preparing to make the game be global! As such, it gives Ruihi the perfect opportunity to introduce fear into everyone via donning her Scale Mail, and finally letting the public hear about it.**

**You know what that means... Issei and Vali are about to have their first fight with her, and you'll see what Ruihi had to avoid using in this match. Also, things are getting set up for Elmenhilde to finally make an appearance. That has me excited because with Millarca already in Kuoh Town, and the fact that Millarca seems to be good friends with her due to how she glomped Elmenhilde in canon.**

**Next chapter will finally have Issei and Vali, as well as their peerages, finally regain their prominence in the story, as Seishi's helped give us a view of the world after the 8-month time skip, and Ruihi's set the stage for Qliphoth to rise out of hiding. It'll also let me show off what other tricks their peerages have learned, as I've already given you a few hints through Asia, especially now that she has a dozen Dragons to call on.**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**

* * *

**Issei's Peerage** **:** Team Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth

**King: Issei Lucifer  
Queen: Rossweisse Brynhildr  
Bishops: Ravel Phenex, Seishi Shiraishi  
Knights: Irina Shidou, Asuka Aoyama  
Rooks: Kelsey Akumaji, Homura Akane  
Pawns: Asia Argento, Yuuma Amano, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Tiamat**

* * *

**Vali's Peerage** **:** Team White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star

**King: Valiana Lucifer  
Queen: Lavinia Reni  
Bishops: Le Fay Pendragon, Kuroka Toujou  
Knights: Tobio Ikuse, Sae Toujou  
Rooks: Sun Bikou, Arthur Pendragon  
Pawns: Yumina Lucifuge, Elaine Westcott, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Fafnir**

* * *

**Ruihi's Peerage** **:** Team Black Dragon Emperor of the Darkness King

**King: Ruihi Satan  
Queen: Verrine (Mutation Piece: x8 Multiplier)  
Bishops: Gressil (Mutation Piece: x5 Multiplier), Unclaimed Bishop  
Knights: Sonneillon (Mutation Piece: x6 Multiplier), Unclaimed Knight  
Rooks: Balberith (Mutation Piece: x7 Multiplier), Unclaimed Rook  
Pawns: Eight Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: None**

* * *

**Diehauser's Peerage** **:** Team Champions of Worthlessness

**King - Diehauser Belial  
Queen - Aadhya (Mutation Piece: x3 Multiplier)  
Bishops - Kuzu-no-Ha, Navarre  
Knights - Yatagarasu (x2)  
Rooks - Crusher, Raze  
Pawns - Leonidas (x?) Vafrorlig (x?)**

**Adviser: None**

* * *

** Bust Size of New Female Characters/Time Skip Updates ** **:**

**Kuzu-no-Ha - 83 cm**

**Navarre - 87 cm**

* * *

** Brief Summaries of Abilities/Equipment/Terms in Today's Chapter ** **:**

**【** **Transcendence** **Charge** **】**  
 **The special ability of Sonneillon, which allows him to move as incredible speeds, while chipping off some of his Chi to create a swarm of doppelgangers that he can freely switch between. The weakness of this power are attacks that strike a group, as destroyed doppelgangers results in energy Sonneillon must recover on his own.**

**【** **Supremacy Magia** **】**   
**The special ability of Gressil, which allows him to cast a spell and amplify it, causing him to fire off weak spells that become some of the most powerful for the weaker spell's cost, and even fuse spells together. It takes a few seconds for either effect, leaving a small window for someone to attack him.**

**【** **Domination Force** **】**   
**The special ability of Balberith, which allows him to unleash a concentrated motion of force, compared to gravity manipulation in the form of controlled psychic blasts. As he can only use one blast at a time in one direction, or as repelling field for a few seconds, this power is best used in a crowded area where the environment can aid the attack.**

**【** **Shadowy Dusk** **】**   
**The "true" bloodline ability of the Satan Clan, implied by Ruihi to be the result of actually tapping deep into her heritage as a Devil, which Satan never got to become due to his death. This power is noted to be like Issei and Vali's signature powers if purely made of Sacred Darkness, though its full abilities are still unknown.**

* * *

** Pairings List ** **:**

**Issei/Vali - Married  
Ddraig/Albion - Married  
Tiamat/Fafnir - Married  
Ophis/Great Red - Married  
Saji/Sona - Engaged**   
**Gasper/Valerie - Dating**   
**Kiba/Tosca - Dating  
Hina/Nanami - Married  
Sairaorg/Kuisha - Engaged  
Rossweisse/Vidar - Engaged  
Jeanne/Cao Cao - Semi-Dating  
Arthur/Elaine - Married  
Bikou/Xuelan - Unknown Status  
Tobio/Sae - Married  
Kouki/Natsume - Engaged  
Shieri/Hyousuke - Engaged  
Ruihi/Itsuki - Dating  
Asia/Leonardo - Unknown Status  
Yumina/Connla - Unknown Status  
Xenovia/Sieg - Unknown Status**


	3. Chapter 3

**Get ready to enter the next level everyone, because it's time for Ruihi to have her first battle with our protagonist pair! You've seen her fight as the Satan Heiress, but now you'll see her fight at her fullest using Crom Cruach's power, while it won't be much longer until she no longer has to hide, and you can see her fight at 100% while using both halves of her powers!**

**Now, before anything else, I finally made my decision on how Ingvild will show in the story, and it's that she and the original Leviathan will be one and the same. With how powerful I've read she was during her debut volume, I feel that there's no better role for her. At the same time, now that Ingvild has been revealed, any future DxD stories of mine will have Ineelana either be the original Leviathan, or Ingvild's mom.**

**Something else I'd like to bring up is the other Dragons that Asia has, or more specifically, the names of four them. Volume 18 showed that Asia had tamed four of the mass-produced Evil Dragons (known as Anselmus, Cyril, Gregorios, and Simeon), but we never really saw them after that. While I'll leave it ambiguous to what kind of Dragons they are, the four of them are among her familiars.**

**Lastly, after some thinking, I've decided that I'm reverting to having Valiana be called by her Vali nickname, mostly as I'm just too used to it to avoid typing it by mistake, and it feels like being called Vali is too major a part of her character to suddenly change. Whenever she refers to herself as Valiana, it tends to be a formal way of showing respect, and it's something that I've often seen from anime characters that come from royalty.**

**With that finally out of the way, back to the start notes of this chapter.**

**Although Ruihi's in this chapter, it isn't just her fighting against Issei and Vali, but also the latter two's peerages showing all of their new tricks. As such, that means you'll be seeing another two people joining Ruihi to battle them! For who these two are? The only thing I can say (aside from them both being Qliphoth members) is that one of them didn't appear in LOHD, while the other did.**

**Following that, we'll be having Elmenhilde finally make her... well, I did already mention she was going to be arriving soon in last chapter's end notes, so that's not much of a surprise. It's how her meeting changes due to the different world this version of her lives in, and the fact Millarca's gonna be involved, which I've already got a few fun ideas for. *giggles mischievously***

**That's all, so let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

**()** \- Albion or Ophis Talking

**[]** \- Ddraig or Great Red Talking

**{}** \- Crom Cruach Talking

**«»** \- Consciousness of any other Sacred Gear Talking

〖〗 - Voice Speaking through a Magic Circle

**「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

**【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

**⟨⟩** \- Custom Spell's Aria Chant

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

** Lucifer **

**One of the 12 Founders of Hell, the Deity of Darkness, the Maou of Pride, and the Devil King himself. This legendary figure entered the world after being created by God as the first of the original Great Seraphs, being assigned the virtue of justice... though also had to suffer being born with a slightly androgynous appearance, due to the Angel Leader still having yet to create definite genders via Izanagi and Izanami.**

**Similar to the close relationship between Vali and Irina, he was closest to Gabriel, though he also had a close bond with Azazel and Cassiel, which in the present day is considered eerie foreshadowing to the latter two eventually becoming the leaders of the Fallen Angels and Demons respectively. However, his strongest relationship was one that truly shook the supernatural world.**

**During the younger years of Adam and Lilith's development, the Great Seraphs watched over them, with Lucifer becoming particularly close with Lilith, and eventually forming romantic feelings for the first Human woman. As such, when God imprisoned her for refusing Adam out of love for another, he was enraged, becoming the main reason Angels in the modern day have become more accepting of their mistakes.**

**Lucifer stood up to God for what he did, warning him his actions had no justice behind them, while God in turn degraded him for the "Pride" he was showing... which is when he finally snapped and said seven words no Angel ever dated to say before: "Then I will no longer serve Heaven!", shocking all his kin. They tried to stop him, including the three he was closest to.**

**However, it was clear the moment he struck Azazel to the ground, and heavily injured Cassiel, that he was beyond reasoning. He immediately rushed through into the prison that God had left Lilith in, rescuing the woman he loved. During this time, he met resistance from Sandalphon, Metatron, and Sariel, who almost succeeded in stopping him, only to fail when Lucifer accidentally created Lucifuge, who gave them the means to flee.**

**For a time, the three would go into hiding, unsure of what their next move would be, though it wouldn't be until the birth of Jesus allowed Humanity to be successfully created without problems that things would change, all through a chance meeting. The day that he, Lilith, and Lucifuge met with a Human girl known as Ingvild, or as the Devils would come to know her... Leviathan.**

**After being inspired by her, Lucifer gathered eight others that shared his ideals, while also possessing certain traits he was looking for, and stood against God in a battle that had him evolve into his equal. In his image, the Devils were born, and the land of Hell was founded. To insult God even further, this caused many Angels to question him, eventually leaving only 1/3 of them loyal to Heaven.**

**Years would fly by until the Great War began, and Lucifer sacrificed himself alongside God and his fellow Maou to seal Trihexa away.**

* * *

**_ Season 7, Rise of Qliphoth Arc: Chapter 3 – Back in Black _ **

A bunch of witches aimed their wands forward, screaming as they blasted magic spells at an unknown figure.

**⟨** **"Almighty darkness gather in my hands, and decimate the light blinding my way!"** **⟩**

" **Chaotic Blast!** "

The dark spells blasted off, but the force that they hit simply charged into the attack, laughing as if it enjoyed the _little_ damage it had received from the attack.

"No, why aren't our spells working!?" A witch screamed.

A huge flamed burned across the area, burning across most of the witches before the one who screamed felt her head grabbed. Before she could fully react, she was soon slammed into the ground, with the unseen being laughing in joy as he continuously repeated the process.

"Why are you hurting yourself!? Why are you hurting yourself!?" They laughed, clearly enjoying their sadism.

"ENOUGH!"

Hearing that sound, the unknown figure stopped, seeing one of their allies come into view.

"You'll get the chance to truly let loose on the real opponents I'm drawing here. We need them alive for right now, otherwise they'll have no reason to show." They warned.

"How boring. Be lucky that it's because the Red and White Dragons are coming, or I wouldn't be stopping right now." The sadistic one replied.

"And you think I don't want to be savage myself? As hated as it is, we have to wait just a bit longer, because we'll be free to act once Ruihi finally announces us to the world." The other figure replied.

One of the few warlocks tried to escape, only for a heavy tail to slam down on him.

"In the meantime... we can at least keep the ones trying to get away in line, reminding all traitors what the cost of betrayal means." He chuckled darkly.

"Now that is a distraction I can enjoy!" The sadistic one smirked.

The warlock screamed before a giant claw grabbed him.

* * *

Near a forest a distance away from Kuoh Town, the sight of the twin Dragons' peerages was seen as Le Fay and Lavinia formed a tracer spell together, trying to locate the general direction of the remaining members of Hexennacht.

"Any luck so far?" Vali asked.

"Hmm... not yet, I can't tell if things are feint, we might be too late, or if some kind of interference is in the way." Lavinia answered, rubbing her cheek slightly.

Upon hearing this, Seishi stepped up.

"I can probably fix that." She offered.

Everyone looked at her, which is when they saw her pull out a white version of the Murakumo and Kusanagi.

"That's the Toksuka-no-Tsurugi, the Sword of Length of Ten Fists!" Homura gasped.

"Somehow, I think we should have seen this coming when you consider our swords." Asuka chuckled, making Seishi blink in confusion.

"Uh... not sure what that was supposed to mean, but this sword's power can stockpile up to 10 other abilities for a one-time use. While I can't merge them, I can use my own power to enhance them." She explained.

"I get it, you want to try using your ability to amplify the range of the locator spell. It's worth a shot." Issei realized.

Nodding her head, the Lucifer Bishop held the Totsuka out to the locator spell, making the sides of the blades stretch out into a shape resembling a taser/sword hybrid as it gobbled up the spell.

Upon doing so, an etching of light that showed a 10 appeared before turning into a 9, reflecting how many abilities it could store.

"Alright, here goes nothing..." Seishi breathed.

" **Ionic Arcana!** "

Everyone watched the purple electricity course through her arms, followed by her swinging her sword down.

" **Locate!** "

The locator spell reappeared, but it was now five times its former size, and a few red dots blinked in a certain direction. The two magicians of Vali's peerage gasped at the result.

"Yes, we have a signal!" Lavinia cheered.

"Nicely done." Asuka praised.

Seishi chuckled as the Totsuka's number reverted to 10 before disappearing. Right at that moment, he noticed something off in the spell, which was three purple dots.

"Hey, what's with these purple ones?" She asked.

"The spell was looking for the witches and/or warlocks of Hexennacht, meaning that must be what's hunting them." Le Fay explained.

"And based on what Rudiger told us, either there was more than one thing hunting them without them knowing, or it brought friends to finish the job." Vali realized, sweating a bit.

"Then we should hurry over." Sae suggested.

Everyone nodded, prompting Yumina to place a hand on her forehead, and channel a portal of darkness underneath them.

"Hold on tight, we're taking the express transport!" She warned.

"Oh boy..." Yuuma gulped.

They all sunk into the portal, and were transported into the area in question... followed by Yuuma rushing into the bushes. Seishi jumped a bit upon hearing her starting to hurl.

"Uh..." She sweated.

"Yuuma gets motion sick on trains, and Yumina using her shadows at the speed she calls _express transport_ replicates that." Vali explained.

"Oh, so it's just nausea." Seishi replied, sighing in relief.

The Fallen Angel Princess walked back, rubbing her stomach a bit as her stomach settled.

"I'm OK..." She reassured everyone.

Right at that moment, the sound of screaming entered their ears, with huge clouds of black pouring into the area. Homura's eyes widened as she saw them.

"That's miasma! It's extremely corrosive, so don't let it touch you!" She warned.

Her warning proved itself as all the nearby began to rot and melt in an instant, forcing everyone to get back.

"Asia!" Issei alerted.

"Right!" She replied.

" **Balance Breaker: Twilight Saint Affection!** "

Forming a barrier around the two peerages, the miasma passed by without harming them due to its damage negating power.

"Miasma... the only creature I know has such a power is Nidhoggr." Seishi recalled.

Looking at each other, the Dragon Emperors looked at their dominant hands, which immediately glowed.

**["I don't sense Nidhoggr's energy signature, but considering what happened with Orochi back in Alfheim..."]** Ddraig replied.

"Yeah, there's a chance it's become too different to recognize as his." Issei agreed.

"Nidhoggr's resurrection cycle's incredibly fast as well, so unlike Orochi, he'd be able to jump back in without outside aid." Vali reminded.

Clapping his hands, Issei's eyes glowed.

**["DREAM!"]**

Both groups briefly glowed, confusing Seishi a bit.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"I used Great Red's power to temporarily make us immune to the corrosive and venomous nature of the miasma. Be careful as it'll only last an hour, and you can still take damage if there's actual force behind it." Issei explained.

Before the Bishop of Lucifer could even properly reply, a huge explosion of gold and black went off.

**("Those colors... it can't be!")** Albion gasped.

**("We have to get over there, now!")** Ophis warned.

"Hold up, was that Ophis' voice!?" Seishi asked.

"Talk later, hurry now!" Tobio replied, grabbing her arm.

She shouted as she was dragged off, and the grouped rushed into the battlefield, soon seeing the sight of all the dead Hexennacht members lying across the ground.

"Oh god... this is brutal." Elaine remarked.

"Are we already too late?" Rossweisse wondered, looking around.

They got their answer as a scream was heard, showing a surviving warlock rushing into view.

"Please, just take me to prison before they-" He begged.

**{"Dragon Crusher!"}**

Hearing that voice immediately make Ddraig and Albion's eyes widen, right as a black blast enveloped the warlock. He barely got a moment to scream before he was completely vaporized.

"No way... so easily?" Kesey gasped, feeling her eyes shake.

Right at that moment, something from the sky charged down at the ground, releasing a loud burst upon landing. The sight of what struck the ground was enough even Issei and Vali's face widened in disbelief.

Standing before them was someone wearing black scale mail armor, and a more genuine black than Saji's was. The defining trait was how similar it had been to the ones they used to wear, down to having the same gems, but golden in color, and even the unique wings... only with a deadlier appearance that made one think they were genuine blades.

**["A black scale mail, with golden gems... it couldn't be."]** Great Red gasped.

**{"Oh, but it is."}** Crom Cruach answered.

The Dragons sealed inside all gasped at that, immediately recognizing the voice of the strongest Evil Dragon.

**("Crom Cruach, how is this possible!?")** Albion questioned.

**{"Simple, without my master, I had to become strong on my own, and I did. 2000 years of training, and when it was done, I decided the only way to properly fight you would be to join the level of your hosts. Together, we are the Kokuryuukun, the Black Dragon Emperor."}** Crom Cruach answered.

**["Impossible!"]** Ddraig exclaimed.

Asia sensed Crom's power, but immediately gasped as took heavy breaths only a moment after trying.

"What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"I felt his power for just a moment, but his aura... it's so terrifying! I think his physical form might have actually become stronger than Ddraig or Albion!" She answered, trying to recollect herself.

This made Issei and Vali's gasp in shock.

Seeing their reactions, Ruihi gave a silent laugh at them, crossing her arms to emphasize her mockery of them.

"Hey, why not talk to our faces!?" Homura shouted.

**{"My host has no need to waste their breath on you, especially not when we'll crush you here and now... Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Empress."}** Crom Cruach declared.

Each of their peerages jumped in front of them.

"You'll have to fight all of us, not just them!" Ravel warned.

**{"And that's why I brought my friends to take care of you."}** The Black Dragon replied.

The nearby trees were suddenly smashed by chains, causing everyone to see a dark green Dragon walk into view. He looked just like Tannin, but with downwards vertical horns (which were black with reddened tips) compared to his more horizontal ones, and armor that looked like criminal chains.

"Finally, you showed up for the party!" The dragon smirked.

**("Grendel!?")** Albion exclaimed in surprise.

"Let me guess, another Evil Dragon?" Issei asked.

**["Crime Force Dragon: Grendel, the monstrous Dragon that fought Beowulf three times before he finally killed him during their third battle, as he was himself, his mother, and the Dragon from the legends. Best way to describe him is an evil version of Akeno as a Dragon!"]** Ddraig answered.

That sent a chill through everyone's spines.

"And then there's me as you so graciously guessed upon seeing my Miasma."

Everyone turned as the trees behind them were devoured, showing the sight of a growing figure that was quickly revealed to be Nidhoggr.

**("Great, so he really was here...")** Ophis sighed.

"Aw, I didn't miss you either, Ophis!" Nidhoggr replied, spitting out her name.

Looking at their surroundings, the group was now face to face with two Evil Dragons, and someone who had a Sacred Gear, or maybe a Longinus based on Crom's new power, that had the power of a third.

"We don't have a choice... Rossweisse, lead the rest of my peerage against Grendel! I'll take on Crom's host alongside Vali!" Issei ordered.

"Lavinia, same with my peerage, but with Nidhoggr!" Vali said in response.

Both Queens nodded their heads, and faced their respective Dragons.

"Go, Kusanagi!" Asuka shouted.

The sword's powerful winds blew, and briefly blinded the three Evil Dragons.

"Take this!" Homura shouted.

"Let's see you handle this monkey business!" Bikou smirked.

Grendel was knocked back by the Murakumo striking him, leaving Issei's peerage to charge at it. Nidhoggr was pushed back just as equally by the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which gave Vali's group the same opportunity, and leaving Ruihi to face off with Issei and Vali.

The two immediately brought out their battle outfits, while Ruihi sharply cracked her neck.

**{"Prepare to see how weak you truly are!"}** The Crescent Circle Dragon declared.

* * *

Grendel soon came to a stop, laughing at the attack he received as Issei's peerage stopped to regroup themselves.

"Homura, you've mentioned the Hero Faction has trained to fight Evil Dragons before... anything about this one?" Irina asked.

The redheaded heroine took a moment to recall what she knew.

"Well... similar to how Nidhoggr looks different, and Issei's told me Orochi looks different? The first thing I can say is Grendel wasn't originally a green copy of Tannin." She answered.

"For what we're sure has to be the same? His defense, durability, and endurance are all scarily high. It doesn't help that he doesn't dodge during a battle. He loves giving and taking pain so much that if he charges at you, don't bother trying to use an attack to stop him." Asuka mentioned.

Right as she finished, Grendel laughed as he charged at them, moving incredible fast!

"And apparently, he now has Knight speed!" Seishi warned.

Everyone immediately dashed out of the way, though he quickly turned towards Irina without having any trouble changing his direction. If it wasn't for Excalibur Rapidly's speed, then she'd be in trouble.

"Crap, he's after me!" She shouted.

"Don't hold back! Use every bit of power you've got!" Asuka shouted.

Rossweisse nodded, drawing out Mistilteinn.

" **Ragnarok Storm!** "

The wall made from hundreds of magic circles appeared behind the Valkyrie Queen, and immediately blasted at Grendel, who stopped moving as the attacks hit him.

"Incredible, this power of yours isn't half bad!" Grendel laughed.

"Ugh... I think he's worse than Akeno, because even she wouldn't enjoy getting hit by this." Irina replied, stopping in place.

Channeling Excalibur's power, she swung it forward as a whip.

" **Excalibur Destruction!** "

Grendel was hit so hard that a crater formed under him, but only a slight dent was seen on his snout.

"Watching you struggle is quite entertaining!" Grendel laughed, opening his maw.

"Whoa... Asuka wasn't kidding about his defenses." Irina gulped, shaking a bit.

Ravel blasted out some fire, making him turn towards her.

"Let me show you real fire!" He shouted.

Opening his maw, he released what seemed more like an endless stream of napalm fire out of his maw, making Ravel dive to evade it.

"Seishi, Homura!" Asuka shouted.

"Right!" They both shouted.

The trio rushed ahead, getting Grendel's attention.

" **Etheric Flare!** "

Grendel was immediately slammed down by the force of Homura's willpower.

"Damn! It's been a while since an Akane last fought me, but it's not-" He chuckled.

" **Crescent Brave!** "

" **Ionic Arcana!** "

Holding out her hands, ghostly hooks shot at Grendel, soon latching onto him and pulling the Evil Dragon into the ground, actually getting stronger from synergy to Homura's attack.

"What is this!?" Grendel questioned.

Spinning around in circles, a powerful surge of lightning left Seishi's body.

" **Discharge Chakram!** "

Slashing forward, the electricity fired off as spinning blades that actually dug themselves into the Crime Force Dragon's pressure points, and finally cutting through his skin!

"Alright!" Homura cheered.

Knowing he needed to break out of the bindings he was in, Grendel roared to force out more strength, prompting Asia to form a magic circle as she prepared to summon.

"Faithful Dragons, fly to my side! I call thee... Rassei, Rekala, and Teslarux!" She chanted.

Rassei appeared, with a green Earth Dragon (Rekala) and a white Ice Dragon (Teslarux) joining him. Turning to the Lucifer Bishop, she smiled before holding her hands out.

"Now my little Dragons... with all of our strength, spread your true wings for this brief moment!" Asia chanted once more.

Unleashing a powerful glow, all three of them assumed their adult forms, with Asia jumping on Rassei's back, and the other two position themselves on her side.

"Are you all ready?" She asked.

"You bet!" Rekala replied, revealing her voice as female.

"Of course!" Teslarux agreed, revealing his male voice.

Spreading their wings, all three Dragons flew forward, with Rassei ramming into Grendel at full speed.

"What the, where these Dragons come from!?" Grendel asked.

Asia jumped off Rassei's back, and smashed her fist into Grendel's face, which made it whip to the side.

Taking the chance, the aged-up Sprite Dragon grabbed the Evil Dragon's jaws, and forced them to stay open as he released his blue lightning inside. The Crime Force Dragon roared in pain as he was surged through.

"Yuuma, Kelsey! I'll restrain him for a bit! We need the biggest attacks you can give!" Asia shouted.

"You've got it!" Kelsey replied, giving a thumb's up.

Clapping her hands together, she focused the Incinerate Anthem's purple flames into her palms, while Yuuma tapped the gem of her Sacred Gear.

"Rekala, Teslarux! Hold him down!" Asia ordered.

"Right!" Both replied.

Teslarux roared as he unleashed a powerful blizzard from his mouth, freezing the upper body of Grendel as the blue lightning kept him paralyzed. Rekala jumped before stomping both her feet into the ground, making the rock underneath the Evil Dragon wrap around his lower body.

" **Balance Breaker: Down Fall Dragon Another Armament!** "

Yuuma's outfit changed into its armed state, grabbing her spear before she charged forward, and spiraled through her air. Kelsey soon clasped her hands to crystallize the flames she had, and then make a few dozen copies of it.

" **Diamond Incineration!** "

" **Fell Jade Strike!** "

The crystallized flames launched at Grendel, prompting Yuuma to throw her spear forward. Asia gave a loud whistle, making all three of her Dragons realize the attack was coming, and moved out of the way.

After they did, Grendel finally lost his paralysis... only to see the attacks coming.

*BAM*

The mixture of Yu-Long's power mixed with Jesus' holy purple flames exploded out, making everyone regroup as they watched the sight.

"Stay on guard, there's no guarantee he's been slain." Asuka warned.

It took a moment for the smoke to clear, and when it did, the blue haired heroine was proven right as Grendel panted a bit, though it was clear some damage had been done as all by the scales on one half of his face had broken off his body.

"Damn, to think you'd hit me so much and only knock off my scales? That's impressive considering the kind of things that have killed me in the past!" Grendel chuckled.

"I can't believe he survived that..." Ravel remarked, sweating a bit.

Grendel tried to get up, only to slump on his legs, chuckling a bit as he looked at his left claw.

"Looks like Walburga was right, guess I still can't properly use my new powers just yet." He chuckled, realizing he was at his limit.

Hearing that, Kelsey's eyes widened.

"Walburga? No, that's impossible! I killed her myself when I took he Incinerate Anthem from her!" She shouted.

"Oops, forgot I wasn't supposed to say her name. Guess that's double the incentive to leave aside from my weakened state. Just know that next time... you won't be as lucky!" Grendel snickered, soon flapping his wings.

Everyone was briefly knocked back before he flew up high, entering some strange portal as he disappeared from the battlefield.

"I don't like this... Grendel made it sound like we only beat him in a weakened stated." Ravel mentioned.

"No, it's a lot worse than that Ravel, he spoke of Walburga in the sense she was alive, even though I clearly killed her last year." Kelsey disagreed, sweating a bit.

"And she was why Orochi's form evolved back in Alfheim." Irina recalled.

With that, everyone gave worried looks, realizing that a new danger was about to threaten the world.

* * *

Nidhoggr slithered across the ground, the bony extensions of his body moving to create a rattling sound as he did.

"Elaine, would you like to start things off?" Lavinia asked.

"Gladly." She replied, holding up her hand.

A collection of magic circles under the Fairy system suddenly appeared, slamming Nidhoggr with a myriad of status banes, making the Evil Dragon shake as his head lowered.

"He's all yours." Elaine winked at everyone.

Bikou chuckled, spinning his signature staff as he charged Prana across it.

"Let's see how he likes round 2!" He exclaimed.

"Allow me to join as well." Arthur requested.

The two Lucifer Rooks rushed ahead, with Bikou slamming his staff on Nidhoggr's neckline, creating a loud impact as the Abyss Rage Dragon's eyes widened.

"Now, time for you to meet your end!" Arthur declared.

Slashing down from the sky, the Pendragon Prince released a powerful slash wave from Caliburn towards Nidhoggr, who weakly looked at it...

Only to smirk before lunging his head to eat it!

"Say what!?" Yumina exclaimed.

Nidhoggr gave a monstrous laugh, and soon whipped his neck around like it had never been struck, followed by Elaine's banes breaking off from his body actually increasing in size. Vali's peerage all looked in surprise as the sight.

"Was that supposed to be a strategy? I find it choosing vague hidden under pathetic naivety!" He mocked.

"How'd he suddenly get bigger?" Sae questioned.

"Orochi originally could only use poison, but Walburga managed to give his extra heads their own unique powers. I bet she gave Nidhoggr an ability based on the legend that he gnawed at Yggdrasil's roots." Le Fay theorized.

Nidhoggr gave the same laugh.

"Quite the smarty, aren't you? That's exactly the case!" He smirked.

Yumina looked at Elaine, and then at Nidhoggr.

'He didn't eat her magic, but Arthur's was when he finally opened wide... is it possible the attack needs to be somewhat tangible?' She thought, putting a finger to her chin.

"Now, let's see how you handle my magic!" Nidhoggr shouted.

Everyone gasped as magic circles appeared around him, revealing unique circles that were probably exclusive to him.

" **Wight Wrath!** "

Ghostly skull heads launched from each circle, opening up to as their eyes lit to amplify the terrifying appearance they had, and forcing Lavinia to rush in front of everyone.

" **Refracting Frost!** "

Ice covered the entire peerage, leaving no signs of them as it shattered from the attack. Raising an eye, he looked around, unaware that they had reappeared within the trees.

"OK, anyone have a game plan?" Bikou asked.

"Kuroka, try making a Youjutsu field, there's a theory I need to test after seeing how our first three attacks went." Yumina suggested.

"Alright, let's test it out." The Black Nekoshou agreed.

Slapping her hands a few times, she focused her Magic and Chi together, and then jumped into the sky.

" **Nekomata Mode LV 4!** "

Spinning around, one could see the last quarter for each of Kuroka's tails splitting in two, making it look somewhat like she had four tails. Nidhoggr noticed her as she was landing.

"Aha, there you are!" He smirked, lunging at her.

Using both her hands and each tip of her tail, she made all her Youjutsu symbols before immediately merging them. The entire forest area suddenly turned into a dark and dying forest made from blacks and whites.

Flipping out of Nidhoggr's way, he chomped where she had been... though didn't get any bigger.

"I knew it, that's why he didn't eat Elaine's spell, because he couldn't!" Yumina realized.

"Mind sharing the theory?" Elaine asked.

"Your spell's nature compared to Arthur's attack was that his was tangible, and yet he didn't act on Bikou's strike. I had Kuroka make her Youjutsu field because my theory was he can only devour tangible things." She explained.

"I get it, Elaine's spell was intangible, and that means..." Tobio realized.

He and Yumina nodded at each other.

" **Astral Darkness: Shadow-Yumina!** "

" _You've got it!_ " She replied.

Yumina's shadow stretched out as it gained its glowing red eyes, and morphed its hands into claws. Nidhoggr lunged to eat her... only for his eyes to widen as she slinked out of his teeth, only there were now three of her.

"What the hell!?" He demanded.

" _You can't eat a shadow, moron!_ " Shadow-Yumina mocked, echoed by all three copies.

Two of the shadows pulled on Nidhoggr's, stretching it out, and making his body contort in a painful manner. The third one lunged at his eyes, slashing at them, and making him scream as she latched them inside, blinding him as his eye holes were blocked off.

"Get your hands out of my eye holes, you bastard!" He demanded, flailing his head around, which was the only thing he could move.

Tobio raised his hand up.

" **Evolved Balance Breaker: Perfectus Tenebrae Lykaon Fortis Densus Laelaps!** "

Jin howled before transforming into Tobio's scale mail, who whistled as his shadow hands formed, and bit into his skeletal armor. The Evil Dragon screamed, leaving him to smirk.

"He's wide open!" Tobio shouted.

"Yeah, let's get him!" Sae cheered.

As Vali's peerage prepared to rush him, Nidhoggr suddenly roared, and actually contorted his body in an impossible manner, making them all freeze in disgust.

The two Shadow-Yumina that were pulling on his own shadow looked to notice magic circles under them, and hit by dark winds that shredded them. His contorted bones forcefully shattered in places before they regenerated, hitting the one on his eyes off before it met the same fate.

"You damn mutts are getting put down!" He roared.

Said bones they were biting on all suddenly spiked out, shredding them apart in an instant.

"Of course, it's never that easy." Sae sighed.

"And it's about to get worse!" Nidhoggr shouted.

Slamming his tail down, the Youjutsu field shattered, making Kuroka gasp as a bunch of trees were uprooted into the sky. Extending his neck out like it was a snake, everyone watched as his tongue whipped out to eat them all.

"Oh boy..." Lavinia gulped.

He roared loudly before tripling in size, completely towering over them and the battlefield.

"Think you can stop me-" Nidhoggr cackled in a mocking tone.

" **Light Wave Slash!** "

He was immediately cut off by as Sae slashed her sword forward, followed by Hibiki roaring a wave of light. The struck him in the face, making his head reel back due to being off guard.

"Quick, do it now!" Sae shouted.

Everyone nodded.

" **Shadow Reaper!** "

" **Sub-Zero Breath!** "

" **Simian Slam!** "

Tobio slashed a blade of darkness that knocked Nidhoggr to the side, only for Bikou's staff to thrust a supercharged burst of Prana on his other side to knock him the other way, but onto his back.

Absolute Demise's avatar formed, immediately releasing a loud shriek before her icy winds froze Nidhoggr to the ground.

"Y-you miserable... little p-pieces of..." Nidhoggr growled.

Le Fay began forming her own magic circle.

**⟨** **"Raze the ground from the divine skies above, brighter than the warm rays of Summer!"** **⟩**

" **Solar Ray Fall!** "

Nidhoggr suddenly saw a beam of light slam him from the sky, aimed at his stomach so he couldn't eat it. He roared in pain as it left a nasty burn on his stomach.

Arthur dashed by, and slashed right across Nidhoggr, leaving a strong glowing cut across his body.

'As if... an attack like that... would be able to... stop me!' He thought, giving an angry growl towards the blonde Rook.

"Yumina, Kuroka, let's team up for this one!" Elaine offered.

"You've got it Elaine!" They both agreed.

The Pawn of Lucifer raised her hand, making a pillar of magic circles stack up, prompting Yumina and Kuroka to jump to the top of it.

" **Supreme Phantom!** "

" **Black Kasha!** "

The two dark attacks shot forward, melding before the magic circles amplified them, making them bigger and faster before completely enveloping Nidhoggr, and making him scream before his body exploded in a dark cloud.

"Yeah, we beat him!" Yumina cheered.

"Best we alert the Great Devils about this, otherwise he'll be reviving dangerously close to Kuoh Town fairly soon." Lavinia replied, panting a bit.

A laughter was heard, making everyone suddenly notice a black mass of energy from the cloud, which gathered together and, to the surprise of Vali's peerage... reformed into Nidhoggr. They all gasped in horror, with the only good news being that he had reset to his default size.

"He can now resurrect himself immediately!?" Le Fay exclaimed.

Nidhoggr laughed, smirking at them.

"You didn't think that you got rid of me that easily? In fact, you didn't even know that this whole fight my new form hasn't had a chance to test itself out. I'm not even as strong as I could be just yet!" He cackled.

Tobio sweated a bit, as Jin's fusion with him gave him the instincts to tell this was no lie.

"Lucky for you, while I'd normally end your lives, it seems that the time for me to leave is now. Looks like Grendel was foolish enough to reveal something he shouldn't have." Nidhoggr replied, giving a look of disappointment.

Flapping his wings, he flew through the same portal that Grendel did, leaving everyone speechless for a minute.

"No way, he wasn't even trying?" Yumina breathed.

"We need to get over to my sister and Issei right now! If these two were holding back, then I can't even imagine what Crom's host is trying, especially if they're _not_ holding back!" Lavinia suggested in a panic.

Hearing that, all of Vali's peerage rushed back, unaware of Issei's peerage doing the same right as they did.

* * *

Ruihi stood across from Issei and Vali, with none of the trio moving... until the Satan Heiress motioned her hand in a challenging manner.

"Alright, you asked for it!" Vali shouted.

**("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!")**

Ruihi stood there as her power was drained, barely fazed by the siphoning.

"Tough one, aren't you? Well, let's see how long you can keep that act up!" Issei shouted, rushing ahead.

**["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"]**

Smirking a bit, Ruihi rushed ahead in the same manner, and then...

**{"CANCEL!"}**

Issei stumbled forward, while Vali stumbled back as both their respective power ups were dispelled, whereas Ruihi regained all the power the latter had stolen from her. Before either of them could react, Ruihi dashed too fast for anyone to see...

Right as the two keeled forward from the Kokuryuukun smashing her fists into their guts, and using them to slam their backs into one another.

**[He negated our primary abilities!?]** Ddraig gasped.

**(In those 2000 years, we knew he had to be getting stronger, but to specifically create a counter to your powers?)** Ophis remarked, surprised by the result.

Ruihi then swung her arms out, smashing both Dragon Emperors through the trees.

**{"I'm sorry, what was that you said about my host's tough act?"}** Crom Cruach inquired.

Vali and Issei got to their feet, still shaking a bit from Ruihi's attack.

"Damn it, we really walked into that." Issei grunted.

"Never thought anyone that wasn't Diehauser could do such a thing. We'll have to fight this person like we tried fighting him." Vali agreed.

Ruihi got into a fighting stance.

'Already knew it would only work once, but they don't know I've got more to handle their tricks.' She thought.

Issei focused his eyes, getting the Satan Heiress' attention.

" **Etheric Flame!** "

The wave of willpower rushed at Ruihi, prompting her to held her hand up.

**{"SCATTER!"}**

A golden glow surrounded her hand as she thrust her palm forward, shredding the attack apart entirely. This make Issei gasp before he spun around to swing his fist.

" **Crimson Striker!** "

His red aura fired out of his fist, taking the form of a red Dragon before hitting Ruihi, making her eyes widen as she was slightly knocked back. Looking at her side, she saw some of her Scale Mail break, revealing her right arm.

"That's definitely a woman's arm, so his host is female." Vali realized.

"Come on, let's break that armor apart and figure out who she is!" Issei replied.

"Right!" Vali agreed,

Vali swung her arms out, creating multiple wing blaster sin the air.

" **Vanishing Storm!** "

**("INFINITY!")**

A storm of blue beams fired across the battlefield, with Ruihi immediately using her speed to dodge them faster than Vali could aim.

**["DREAM!"]**

Issei began dashing at the Kokuryuukun, using his power to evade Vali's attacks. However, despite how fast he moved, Ruihi was always faster, making him sweat a bit.

'She's even faster than Irina!' He thought.

**{"You'll never beat us in speed, or in general."}** Crom Cruach stated.

Before the Red Dragon Emperor even had time to react, he was suddenly smashed with a left hook, making him fly back by Vali, who gasped as she slid to a stop by him.

However, neither of them had any time to react to that, or anything else, as the Satan Heiress appeared right before them, holding out both palms as a powerful burst of energy welled in them, though it was unlike anything else she had ever used before now.

**{"NOTHINGNESS!"}**

At that moment, a huge explosion fired off, causing the twin Dragons to go wide eyed as the entire area was vaporized, and they eventually crashed onto the ground. Ruihi looked for a moment before seeing the two were unconscious, and giving a light chuckle.

"Game over." She quietly said to herself.

Right at that moment, the Kokuryuukun turned to see both their peerages arrive, leaving them to gasp as their Kings' defeated forms.

**{"Count your blessings that we're not allowed to kill them... this time. In return, let the whole world and the Alliance know the Kokuryuukun is their enemy."}** Crom Cruach announced.

With that, Ruihi took off into the sky, leaving everyone to watch before they looked at the defeated pair before them.

"Issei and Vali... even they lost." Ravel breathed.

"Damn it, this doesn't bode well. How's everyone supposed to react to this!" Homura panicked.

Asuka cleared her throat, putting a hand on the redheaded Rook's shoulder.

"Simple, we don't tell anyone that's not a leader. Best we don't cause a panic when we barely have anything to go on." She stated.

"Oh... yeah, I knew that." Homura chuckled in embarrassment, looking away from her adoptive sister.

The blue haired heroine shook her head, while the two peerages picked up their unconscious Kings.

"Come on, we should deal with all this at the Akane Hotel." Rossweisse suggested.

"Good idea." Yumina agreed.

* * *

Inside of the Akane Hotel, the sight of Eve humming in the kitchen could be seen, cooking a lot of meat chunks.

"I'm gonna get you!" A female voice shouted.

"No, the scary pink Dragon's gonna eat me!" A male voice screamed with fake panic.

Turning around, she saw the sight of Mylenei and Ishiki running around in their human forms, with the sister among the Heavenly Dragons' twins jumping on her brother.

"Got you, now I'm a eating you!" Mylenei giggled.

Ishiki laughed as she began nibbling on his arm.

"Oh no, she's got me! Tell my mom I love her!" He playfully called for help.

"You two are just so adorable sometimes." Eve giggled.

The doorbell range, getting her attention as the three looked towards it.

"Hey mom, it's us. Mind letting us in? We have a bit of a... situation." Homura answered, sounding a bit nervous.

Surprised to hear her biological daughter's voice, she briefly walked away from the kitchen.

After opening the door, she noticed the KO'd Issei and Vali being carried by them.

"Oh my, what happened?" She asked in surprise.

"Well they're unconscious before you ask anything else, and... well, I guess you'll found out when we contact the Alliance leaders about this." Ravel clarified.

"Uncle/Aunt Issei/Vali!"

Everyone turned as the twins charged at them, making them all fall over, having the side effect of waking Issei and Vali up from the sudden force.

"H-hey there you two..." Issei wheezed out.

"Albion's right, 8 months and they're already weight 50 kg." Vali coughed out.

Eve giggled before pulling the twins off.

"Calm down you two, they've both just came from something exhausting and need to go easy on them." She gently warned.

"Sorry..." Both apologized.

Putting them down, Eve finally noticed Seishi, and smiled brightly before putting her hands on her cheeks.

"I don't believe it, you finally woke up! My name's Eve Akane, your new mother, and I'm really excited to meet you." She greeted, smiling brightly.

"Uh... y-yeah, nice to meet you too..." Seishi replied, feeling her unintentionally play with her cheeks.

Everyone did their best to hold their laughter in, making their cheeks swell a bit, which luckily never came out as Ophis walked into view.

"Eve, you're smothering her." She pointed out.

"Oh? My bad." Eve apologized, letting go.

Seishi's eyes widened, soon looking at Ophis, and then at the hand where Vali's Divine Dividing was stationed.

"It's a long story that also involves Ddraig, Albion, and Great Red." Issei explained.

Hearing that, the white-haired heroine immediately stumbled to the couch before she sat down on it.

"T-the Dragons and... the Kings and... babies..." She stuttered, feeling her brain spin in circles.

"I think we broke her." Vali replied.

Seishi soon fell on her side, making everyone wince at the resulting thud.

"Never mind, we _did_ break her." Vali corrected herself.

* * *

After recovering from her small breakdown, Seishi gulped down a whole cup of black tea, getting her nerves back in order as the details she was oblivious too got filled in for her.

"What kind of craziness did I get myself into?" Seishi asked herself.

"Join the club, because it's kind of mandatory for the stuff that we do." Asuka giggled, causing her adoptive sister to gulp.

Homura lightly bopped her head.

"Come on, don't scare her half to death with such comments." She replied.

The moment she said that, Seishi fell back into the couch, shaking a bit.

"Oops..." Asuka realized, giving an awkward chuckle.

"Just a reminder, but weren't you all going to contact the Alliance leaders?" Albion replied, clearing her throat.

"Whoops, better get to that right now." Vali remembered.

Forming a special magic circle and swiping across it, an image of Lilith, Seth, Shemhazai, Gabriel, Artemis, Vidar, Izanagi, Brahma, Morrighan, Ra, Yasaka, Akatsuki, Rudiger, and any other leaders tied to the Alliance came up.

The Mother of all Devils was the first to notice the emergency call came up, and immediately turned to it.

"Oh! Sorry about that, I guess we're still not used to this thing." Lilith chuckled.

"Huh? Oh man, is the emergency call being used? I knew we should have tested it a few times in advance!" Artemis shouted.

Everyone sweat dropped for a moment, prompting Issei to cough loudly.

"Right, ignoring that detail for now. Using this system means something's come up... and I expect it relates to the mission I just sent you on?" Rudiger realized.

"Afraid so. We found the remnant group of Hexennacht members, but they were already dead by the time we had arrived." Lavinia confirmed.

"However, it was who killed them that was the real problem. When we arrived, we found three individuals, and... I think Vidar and the Christian Pantheon leaders will hate hearing this most, but two of them were Grendel and Nidhoggr." Vali reported.

While all of the leaders showed worry, it was the five leaders the Lucifer Heiress had stated would hate the news most that showed the biggest shock.

"I knew he had to be alive, but Nidhoggr was actually involved?" Vidar questioned.

"No way, this is just like with Orochi, but now the Evil Dragon that's officially tied to our faction?" Shemhazai remarked.

Issei sighed, getting Akatsuki's attention.

"Red Dragon Emperor, it looks like you don't consider either of them the biggest worry... do you?" He questioned.

"And you're right, because... the third person was different. It was a Sacred Gear... no, maybe even a Longinus wielder that me and Vali fought, and... Crom Cruach was sealed inside of it." Issei revealed.

"Oh god, so Crom Cruach is now a Sacred Gear? And why do you think it's a new Longinus?" Morrighan questioned, shaking a bit over the Dragon that annihilated most of the Celtic Pantheon in the Second Great War.

Sighing as he rubbed his head, the Prince of Hell continued after taking a moment to collect himself.

"Because we couldn't identify any more about the host of this Sacred Gear aside from they were female, and only because I blew off the arm of their Scale Mail armor. Even worse? Crom stated they were the Kokuryuukun, and such a name was easily a reference to the old titles of our Longinus." He explained.

"Not only that, but Crom even declared he was now the third Heavenly Dragon, and we can't doubt that claim because..." Vali added.

She paused for a moment, before Issei looked away as well.

"We lost against her." They both said together.

All of the leaders widened their eyes at that, while most of them began flying their mouths out in a panic. Only Lilith managed to keep any sense of calm as she looked at the screens of the stressed-out leaders.

"Are you serious?" Lilith asked.

"We wish we weren't mom, but it's true. Our Boost and Divide abilities were immediately rendered useless, Issei saw his Etheric Flame get shred apart like paper, and... well, the last attack she used on us? I still feel the damage, and the others said the entire area looked like it was vaporized." Vali explained.

Lilith winced a bit.

"Actually, here's something I heard Grendel say that concerns me... he implied Walburga is still alive, and has evolved all the Dragons." Kelsey revealed.

"Can't be, we all know you killed the old hag before the Championship Battle last year." Seth remarked.

"Believe me big brother, I don't want to believe it any more than you do, but it doesn't sound like he was lying. He and Nidhoggr were both way different than before, enough that Vali's peerage killed Nidhoggr, and he immediately resurrected from it." She replied.

All of the leaders gave nervous looks at one another, and then Brahma sighed.

"We all knew that whatever peace we had after the war wasn't to last. I think we need to consider this as good a time as any to officially mark that a new threat is on the horizon." He stated.

"Yes, we need to stay vigilant after what we've just heard here." Izanagi agreed.

Lilith closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Let me know if anything else comes up, Alliance leaders out." She stated.

The emergency call ended, leaving everyone to slump across the couch.

'Rizevim... are you finally taking action?' Vali thought, a slight bead of sweat going down her face.

* * *

Millarca groaned before slumping on her desk in the Student Council, making a few papers bounce for a brief moment.

"I hate when things like this show up, it stresses me out." She groaned, looking at the reports related to the Evil Dragons that the Lucifer Teams fought.

"Stop complaining, you chose to run for this position." Saji replied, typing on a computer.

"It doesn't mean there are times the supernatural side of things can make it really suck..." Millarca sighed.

Right at that moment, she heard her phone beep, getting everyone's attention.

"Oh, one second. This looks important." She apologized, walking out of the room.

Tapping a button on the phone, a magic circle showing a familiar appearance of a pureblooded Vampiress.

"Elmenhilde!?" She gasped.

『"It's been a long time. Unfortunately, that's not why I called."』 The Vampiress replied.

* * *

The following day, the Lucifer Team was back at home, with Issei and Vali gathered in one room as they had a bunch of books tied to the Celtic Pantheon littered around, trying to get all the information they could about Crom Cruach.

"Let's see... ah, here's something that fits what Ddraig and Albion told us once. Crom's incredibly fast even by a Dragon's standards." Vali noticed.

"That would explain why we couldn't hit her host. If we were all compared to a Queen, then she'd be the Knight to our Rook and Bishop." Issei realized, turning the page.

A notice of shadows was brought up.

"Huh... a shadow drake, huh? Guess that means he has powers over shadows." He remarked.

"And yet he didn't even need it to beat us." Vali sighed.

"To be fair, neither of us really used some of our more dominant abilities due to the location we were in. Hopefully that gives us an edge next time." Issei reminded her.

The Lucifer Heiress blinked before lightly bopping her head.

"How'd I forget that I didn't even use my Ethereal Twilight in that battle?" She asked herself.

Before the two could continue, Elaine walked into the room, getting their attention.

"Vali, we have a guest that would like to see you and Issei." She stated.

"Oh?" She replied.

Getting on their feet, both of them headed towards the door, and soon saw the sight of Millarca Vordenburg waving at them.

"Hey, what's up Millarca?" Issei greeted.

"I'd like to say this was a normal visit, but I'm afraid it isn't. You mind bringing Asia, Yumina and Ravel with you, then joining me at the Bael Territory?" She replied.

"Eh?" Issei blinked.

"It's... complicated, but I'll be able to explain more when you show up." Millarca apologized, making a begging motion with her hands.

They didn't get it, but the duo shrugged at one another.

* * *

Gathering their three retainers in question, Millarca brought the group over to the Bael Territory, seeing a bunch of flowers stretched across the area.

"Wow, I didn't know the Bael Clan was so beautiful." Asia remarked.

"These flowers are a type that used to be extinct, but Kirin managed to bring them back through hard work and study. The Bael Clan's crest even happens to be a flower itself." Vali explained.

"Ah, so that explains the flowers." Issei realized.

Eventually, they got to a big mansion area, where Saji's Queen knocked on the door. The one opening it revealed themselves to be a redheaded Devil that the group was well acquainted with.

She looked the same as she did eight months ago, other than she now wore Kuoh Academy's college uniform.

"Hey there Rias." Millarca greeted.

"Millarca? Issei? Vali?" She said in surprise, having not expected them.

"I know this is last minute, but... trust me when I say you'll be glad we came when we did." Millarca apologized.

Issei sighed, tapping her shoulder.

"Seriously, what's going on?" He asked.

"Well... Vampire politics." Millarca admitted.

Everyone froze at that, right as the sight of bats flying from a distance could be seen.

"Oh crud, she's earlier than I expected! Quick, go get Gasper and Valerie, and... everyone just gather in the same room. Hopefully I can keep things from getting as messy as I'm worried they could." Millarca panicked.

"Why do I feel I'm about to get a headache?" Rias sighed.

Everyone went inside, and as they did, the bats gathered together to form the appearance of a female Vampire with long, wavy blonde hair, and a doll-like appearance. She had deep red eyes, skin so pale she almost looked like a corpse, and wore a red dress resembling the kind worn by princesses back in the Middle Ages, with an ornamented head-dress.

"Finally, I have arrived." Elmenhilde stated.

She knocked on the door, and then... suddenly widened her eyes as a familiar face jumped out.

"Elme!" Millarca cheered.

"Wait, don't-" She panicked, waving a hand out.

Millarca's embrace knocked her to the ground, making the two Devil Heiress stare at the sight, while everyone else just blinked.

"Oh, it's so good to see you Elme, how have you been!?" Millarca smiled, nuzzling against her cheek.

"Get off of me!" Elmenhilde demanded, looking annoyed.

Issei started to snicker a bit, turning the other way.

"I keep forgetting that Millarca's nicer than most pureblooded Vampires." He laughed.

After a few minutes, Elmenhilde managed to pull Millarca off her form, and managed to get inside. Fixing up her appearance and clearing her throat, she turned her attention to the Bael Heiress.

"Greetings, little sister of the Great Devil Sirzechs, and new Heiress to the House of Bael. My name is Elmenhilde Karnstein, a Vampire of the Carmilla Faction." She greeted, giving a proper curtsy.

'I see what they mean about Vampire pedigree now.' Issei thought.

"A pleasure to meet you, though I hope you don't mind my forwardness in asking you about why you've come to my household so suddenly." Rias replied, giving a questioning smile.

She closed her eyes for a moment, with Millarca looking a bit nervous.

"I need to borrow Gasper Vladi and Valerie Tepes." Elmenhilde answered.

This got everyone's attention, while Gasper immediately paled before dashing behind Valerie, Balor's eye appearing on his hand in a sighing motion.

**«'3... 2... 1, and...'»**

Everyone felt Rias' aura flare up, meaning she was angry despite not visibly showing it.

"That's quite the tall demand you'd ask of me, considering how your kind treated them both for their nature, especially Gasper in particular." Rias replied, glaring a bit.

"You don't scare me. Words are just that, and you can't act without it being viewed as an act of aggression." Elmenhilde warned.

"Oh, you're a cheeky little-" Rias responded.

Millarca made a bat-like screech, making everyone cover their ears.

"OK, let me intervene on this matter before something gives out." She stated, having clearly seen a red flag being raised before she interrupted.

She looked at Rias first.

"Gasper and Valerie are members of your household, and they chose to stay with you after the Evil Piece update was made. That shows they trust you greatly for all you've done for them." Millarca stated.

Then she turned to her fellow Vampire.

"As for you Elme? She has a good point on why she should even let you _borrow them_ for anything, considering the whole mess the Vampires have already been having with their Cold War of a Civil War, especially since the Celtic Pantheon was nearly decimated in the war. If you want to ask anything, perhaps you should share what's going on?" Millarca suggested.

"I have no reason to answer that." Elmenhilde refused.

"Elme, you are in Alliance territory. Trying to hold pedigree only makes you look like a selfish snob to the Devils." She warned her.

Elmenhilde flinched at that comment, grunting a bit.

"Whoa, now that's what I call having a spine." Yumina remarked, making Millarca blush.

Knowing she wouldn't get anywhere, she had no choice.

"The Cold War half of our conflict is no more... and we're now in war with the Werewolves." She revealed, closing her eyes.

Everyone in the room felt their eyes widen after hearing this.

"What!? How is this possible, Lady Morrighan never said anything to us about a war happening!" Millarca exclaimed.

"I think that's the problem here, it's the fact Elmenhilde likely knows why this hasn't been reported." Vali realized.

"The leader of the Tepes Faction was replaced in a coup, and the Werewolves had their current leading party slaughtered to start the conflict. This was all to the news to block off all ways to alert the Celtic Gods of what happened." She confirmed.

Valerie began shaking a bit, looking at her.

"Who was it... who took over?" She asked.

"I believe you know him as Marius Tepes, your Half-Brother." Elmenhilde revealed.

Valerie gasped at that, collapsing into Gasper's arms.

"Oh no, that reaction is a clear red flag." Ravel realized.

"And she's right to react that way... Marius was what forced her and Gasper to run away from home in the first place." Rias revealed.

"Let me guess, he wanted her Longinus because of what its Balance Breaker can do." Vali realized.

Issei looked at her, and Vali turned to him.

"Let's just say that while it normally just revives people, its Balance Breaker can outright enhance people in ways that would be especially good for something like a Vampire, and that isn't good in the wrong hands." She revealed.

"Oh god..." Issei realized.

Elmenhilde soon pulled out a document, getting everyone's attention.

"Despite our current state, the current leader of the Carmilla Faction has offered the following if you aid us here. The Vampires of at least our faction will aid you, and hopefully, we can influence the Tepes side via Gasper and Valerie, I believe this is a fair deal." Elmenhilde stated.

"Aside from the fact you only want the Vampires among us to aid you, or how you'll ignore the Alliance's requests if we don't accept... am I right, Elme?" Millarca added.

Hearing her friend's words, she turned a bit.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"You keep forgetting why I even left the Vampires in the first place. With that in mind, what makes you believe I'd do anything that favors the reason behind why I left?" Millarca retorted.

"I can never understand why you sympathize with such barbaric races." Elmenhilde replied, glaring at her.

At that moment, Issei slid the document from the arguing vampires, and placed it in front of Ravel. She immediately took a look, and soon smirked as she spotted a very beneficial loophole.

"If I may interject, you seem to have missed a small detail on this document." Ravel alerted them.

"Huh?" Elmenhilde replied.

Giving something of a haughty chuckle, she held the document as she pointed to the one section.

"You specifically want the aid of Vampires, but you seem to be unaware of a Devil law tied to Evil Pieces that defines those under a peerage as a Devil, even they didn't reincarnate into one. By the logic of our own laws, there's not a Vampire here for you to ask for." She revealed.

Elmenhilde flinched at that, sweating a bit.

"Y-you just made that up." She retorted, though seemed uncertain.

"Afraid not, but you wouldn't know that because it's only known via races tied to the Alliance, and therefore lack a reincarnation system. As such, the only way for your deal to work how you'd like is to officially join us now and get them. By extension, any _Vampires_ among us can only join you if their Kings are allowed to join, along with anyone else the Devil government deems as necessary." Ravel revealed, pulling up the info on a magic screen.

Millarca snickered a bit at the pale face her friend made upon reading it.

"Well? Now that you know this, are you willing to form a compromise for the sake of your people?" Vali giggled, enjoying the sight of her haughtiness breaking down.

Elmenhilde gave a loud grunt, and then took a deep breath.

"Fine... we'll talk out an agreement." She relented.

* * *

**And there you have it, the new character as Grendel, while the familiar face was Nidhoggr (despite that he rarely appeared in LOHD), and they gave our group a wakeup call that their months of peace are coming to an end. I had them in a weakened state because it makes their victories like certain video game fights where you still lose if you don't meet a certain condition in a fight.**

**Elmenhilde has also shown up asking for Gasper and Valerie, though with how dire things happened in the Second Great War, and because Ravel's good at reading the fine print? Her attempt to favor the Vampires more didn't work like she expected, and now she's gotta deal with a compromise. On the downside, now we know what Marius has been up to, and it worked well enough that none of the Celtic God even knew a war had stated.**

**Now, since some might be curious about why I chose the abilities for the Crescent Eradicator that I did, let me explain those for you.**

**For "Cancel", that one was made because of the fact that in canon, when the Gremory Team used the Tathlum against him... it failed simply because he _bit_ on it! With how I wanted to make Crom into the Black Dragon Emperor, my first thought was that I should apply that into an ability. The end result ended up being the power to cancel out an enemy's power ups, including any strength gained through a Boost or Divide.**

**"Scatter" is also based on his durability, and how his flames broke through Vali's Compression Divider when he attempted to use it on him. While against an enemy attack, it just breaks it apart to make it near useless, or risk friendly fire. However, if Ruihi uses it on her own attack, she can make any of her techniques that are meant for a single target hit an entire group.**

**However, the only one I can't really talk about is "Nothingness", because that has to do with spoilers. Let's just say that among Ruihi's abilities, this is the only one that doesn't come from Crom Cruach, similar to how Great Red and Ophis are the power source behind one of Issei and Vali's powers. *giggles* Though when I reveal where it comes from, you might be surprised at what the source is :3**

**Lastly, before we end things, I should remind everyone about Rias' status in case you forgot some of the details from LOHD's final chapter.**

**Sairaorg chose to step down from his position as the Bael Heir, partially because of helping his mother recovery, and partially because he plans to marry into the Abaddon Clan when he and Kuisha are finally wed. Since Sirzechs became a Gremory again, he was able to replace his deceased father, while his mother and sister had become the new Head and Heir to the Bael Clan, so similar to how Kirin took her mother's maiden name, the same applies here.**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**

* * *

**Issei's Peerage** **:** Team Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth

**King: Issei Lucifer  
Queen: Rossweisse Brynhildr  
Bishops: Ravel Phenex, Seishi Shiraishi  
Knights: Irina Shidou, Asuka Aoyama  
Rooks: Kelsey Akumaji, Homura Akane  
Pawns: Asia Argento, Yuuma Amano, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Tiamat**

* * *

**Vali's Peerage** **:** Team White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star

**King: Valiana Lucifer  
Queen: Lavinia Reni  
Bishops: Le Fay Pendragon, Kuroka Toujou  
Knights: Tobio Ikuse, Sae Toujou  
Rooks: Sun Bikou, Arthur Pendragon  
Pawns: Yumina Lucifuge, Elaine Westcott, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Fafnir**

* * *

**Rias' Peerage** **:** Team Extinguished Star of Bael

**King - Rias Bael  
Queen - Akeno Himejima  
Bishops - Gasper Vladi (Mutated Piece, x4 Multiplier), Valerie Tepes (Mutation Piece, x4 Multiplier)  
Knights - Kiba Yuuto, Xenovia Quarta  
Rooks - Shirone Toujou, Kiyome Abe  
Pawns - Tosca Shirayumi, Seven Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Venelana Bael**

* * *

** Bust Size of New Female Characters/Time Skip Updates ** **:**

**Elmenhilde - 81 cm**

* * *

** Brief Summaries of Abilities/Equipment/Terms in Today's Chapter ** **:**

**【** **Totsuka-no-Tsurugi** **】**   
**One of the three strongest Holy Swords tied to the Shinto Pantheon. The Totsuka has the power to stockpile up to ten abilities for a one-time use, and while they can't be merged, the user can enhance them with their own abilities.**

* * *

** Pairings List ** **:**

**Issei/Vali - Married  
Ddraig/Albion - Married  
Tiamat/Fafnir - Married  
Ophis/Great Red - Married  
Saji/Sona - Engaged**   
**Gasper/Valerie - Dating**   
**Kiba/Tosca - Dating  
Hina/Nanami - Married  
Sairaorg/Kuisha - Engaged  
Rossweisse/Vidar - Engaged  
Jeanne/Cao Cao - Semi-Dating  
Arthur/Elaine - Married  
Bikou/Xuelan - Unknown Status  
Tobio/Sae - Married  
Kouki/Natsume - Engaged  
Shieri/Hyousuke - Engaged  
Ruihi/Itsuki - Dating  
Asia/Leonardo - Unknown Status  
Yumina/Connla - Unknown Status  
Xenovia/Sieg - Unknown Status**


	4. Chapter 4

**Good day everyone! Before we begin today's chapter... I need to apologize to everyone, because I made a goof last chapter! ^^; *chuckles awkwardly* This wasn't a mistake in the actual chapter itself, but something I said in the start notes. To clarify, when I submitted the chapter, what I had decided about Ingvild had shown my _original_ plan until a few days before I finished the chapter.**

**What my actual decision for Ingvild had become was to have her replace Ineelana's position as the Leviathan Heiress, as due to the process of removing crossover elements from LOHD, I found myself she worked a lot better into the narrative I had set. Her having the Nereid Kyrie gives more justification to certain events, it works better than my original idea for who'd wield it.**

**For the Nereid Kyrie itself? While she still has it, the LOHD version of Ingvild has no idea she even has the Longinus inside of her, partially for reasons that will be revealed in this story, and because she'd have beaten Vali in the Rating Game Tournament if she already had access to it. With how that thing can counter the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing, the Nereid Kyrie has to at least be the 3rd or the new 2nd strongest Longinus.**

**Once again, I apologize for that mix up, and for those who like Ineelana? No worries about her being** **written out, as she'll still be in the story, though she'll now be a new member that joined Ingvild's peerage during an unspecified point in the time skip. This does mean she'll have a change in powers, but I have a way to do this that lets her execute them like her old ones, minus the power copying.**

**I know this might be out of left field, but there's a few reasons (aside that I like Ingvild a lot) that I'm doing this. The biggest is that it just feels right, especially because for one, it gives more meaning to the Championship Battle of the Rating Game Tournament, even if no one's initially aware of how much that is. Basically, she's a good fit as Vali's version of both Sairaorg and Sona.**

**Anyways, with that out of the way, time to officially begin this chapter's start notes. We're finally heading to the Vampire's land, where our heroes have to deal with not just the Vampires... but the Werewolves getting caught in war. This excites me because we don't know a thing about Werewolves beyond Loup Garou, other than they are hated and feared by the Vampires.**

**Something else that makes this chapter (and the next arc) different is where Issei and Vali usually have everyone in their peerages with them? To prep up the DxD Team eventually forming in the future, only a few of their retainers will be going with them, and instead be joined by a few others and some of their retainers. JOHD will be doing this much more commonly, as I'd like others to get chances to shine.**

**This really excites me as it won't be much longer before I can finally give Rizevim his first direct debut into the trilogy, as he's at best only been present or indirectly involved with the story up until now, at best influencing things like Asia ending up at the Vatican through his actions. From here, I can finally say he's going to actively take the position of main antagonist that LOHD has set him up as.**

**Last thing I'll say before we begin is that we'll also be seeing Itsuki show up again, where he'll finally get more characterization beyond the fact he's Ruihi's boyfriend, and the indirect reason that Seishi and Asuka's parents are dead. Even though Ruihi could bring her peerage, they haven't actually done direct work under Qliphoth yet like he has, so they aren't the best options for aiding Ruihi and Marius.**

**Now, without any more delay... let the chapter begin!**

* * *

**()** \- Albion or Ophis Talking

**[]** \- Ddraig or Great Red Talking

**{}** \- Crom Cruach Talking

**«»** \- Consciousness of any other Sacred Gear Talking

〖〗 - Voice Speaking through a Magic Circle

**「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

**【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

**⟨⟩** \- Custom Spell's Aria Chant

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

** Leviathan **

**One of the 12 Founders of Hell, the Deity of Darkness, the Maou of Leviathan, and the Lucifer's right hand. She first met the future Devil King back when she was a Human girl under the name of Tsufaame, who had the unique ability to mimic the skills of anyone she saw and keep them herself, which eventually evolved until her Clan's signature "Attribute Thief" ability when she became a Maou.**

**She never really brought up her life before then to the other Maou, though the reason Envy was considered the sin tied to her was believed to be how she could mimic nearly any skill she saw to learn herself was believed to be the result of growing up in very unfavorable conditions that eventually left her an orphan, spending her years without being adopted.**

**Upon meeting Lucifer, Lucifuge, and Lilith for the first time, she recognized the former was an Angel, but rather than questioning it, she gave them aid by offering them shelter. From there, she learned of their story, and admitted she herself didn't like God or his choices, leading her to give Lucifer the inspiration to create Hell and the Devils by telling him he should oppose the leader of Heaven.**

**Due to her strength making her the second only to Lilith among female Devils, and being the reason that Lucifer ever had the idea to make his own land and people, she was ranked second among the Maou, only having authority lower than Lucifer and Lilith. During her time ruling Hell, she had a hand in the development of various things, including the prison of Cocytus.**

**Like her fellow Maou and God, she died when she sacrificed herself to seal Trihexa away.**

* * *

**_ Season 7, Rise of Qliphoth Arc: Chapter 4 – Road to Romania _ **

Reading over the report that her daughter just sent her, Lilith hummed a bit as she munched on some Japanese Manju, looking at a magic circle with a manifestation of Morrighan standing inside of it.

"To think that something like this managed to slip under our noses." She remarked.

〖"I'm not that surprised. After what happened to my father and most of my fellow Celtic Gods, there were plenty of cracks that could have been slipped through, even for my ability to notice. What Elmenhilde states is just proof that I hoped to never get."〗 Morrighan replied.

"Hmm... good point, and it does make it seem like Crom attacked the Celtic Pantheon intentionally if we consider this." Lilith agreed.

Taking a deep breath, she finished the Manju she was eating before continuing.

"For now? Just focus on preventing collateral within the Human settlements of your area. With how similar Devils are to Vampires, this is probably the best move we can make." The Devil Queen replied.

Following her response, the Celtic Pantheon's leader nodded her head, and dispelled her magic circle.

After that was done, she tapped a few buttons, making the magic circles of four specific Clans appear on screen as she ate another bite of Manju.

"Everyone, I need some help with an urgent request." She asked.

* * *

While they waited for the help they were calling for, the twins Dragons and Rias began figuring out their side of the planning.

"OK, so Lilith said that due to the situation being delicate, we should only bring one or two retainers with us. Considering that Elmenhilde will probably be difficult if I don't... guess my options are limited to Gasper and Valerie." Rias stated.

"Hmm... based on this be Vampire territory, then I think Yumina is a good option for sneaking around and countering their own shadow manipulation. I'll also bring Kuroka in since her Kasha technique can be a good deterrent for Vampires who want to stay alive." Vali replied.

Taking a moment, Issei soon made his choice as well.

"I'll bring Ravel so she can make Phenex Tears if needed, and Asia so her familiars can be extra muscle, while giving Valerie less reason to strain herself if she needs to resurrect someone. As a bonus? If any Evil Dragons show, maybe she can get us some answers." He decided.

Right at that moment, a knock was heard on the door.

"Guess who?" A flirty voice greeted.

"Knew you'd do that." A female voice replied.

Opening the door, the sight of Shuriliu and Leelexe was seen, making Vali smile as she ran to give them a hug.

"Shuriliu! Leelexe! It's been so long!" She exclaimed.

"It isn't just them." Another female voice replied.

Looking past them, the sight of Sona waving could be seen, with a somewhat annoyed Ruihi, who were followed by Coriana, Gandoma, and Rugal.

"I had a feeling Rugal would be joining us when Elme mentioned Werewolves." Millarca giggled.

Rugal groaned at that, recalling every racist word that he heard from their prissy Vampiress guest when Lilith called them over.

"I'm saying this now... I only care because I have a friend that I care for in the Werewolf territory. Getting her out is the only thing I care about." He stated.

"Wait, she?" Issei remarked.

Everyone made an interesting reply at that, and Rugal didn't reply, making Sona giggle a bit.

"His silence usually means we're right about him." Sona mentioned.

"We get it, you can tell I like a girl. It isn't a production." Rugal remarked, moving towards the wall before leaning on it.

As that was happening, Millarca looked at Coriana and Gandoma.

"Any reason these two are the retainers your bringing over?" She asked, not familiar with either Maou Heiress' peerage.

"Coriana's power works on either gender, but it does more wonders on men because she's a woman. It's a perfect choice for the Tepes Faction's favoritism towards male leadership." Shuriliu explained.

Blinking a bit, the Vampiress laughed a bit.

"Yeah, stop pulling my leg with your harem jokes. Tell me the real reason." Millarca replied.

The Andrealphus Heiress give a challenging chuckle at that, turning towards Saji's Queen before she emitted some pheromones from her body. The pink mist surrounded her in a moment as she felt herself suddenly blushing.

"W-wait, this is weird!" She realized, sweating a bit.

"Oh, is it?" The Asmodeus Bishop questioned.

Turning to Coriana, the Vampiress felt her heart pounding ten times louder than normal as she put her finger to her lips, and then gave it a light lick. In just seconds, Millarca suddenly felt her nose bleed as she fell backwards.

"You still think I'm lying about my fiancé's skills?" Shuriliu smirked.

"No, and please get me a tissue..." Millarca replied, covering her bloody nostril.

Leelexe snapped her fingers as created one with her powers, tossing it to the overwhelmed Vampire Queen's side.

"For Gandoma here? Only us who are Devils or have Evil Pieces are able to realize he's not just grunting all of the time, so he'll be good at keeping secrets. Even got word from the Naberius Clan that Rizevim shouldn't be able to hear him either." She explained.

The Balam Heir nodded his head, grunting in reply.

" _Don't hesitate to trust any secrets with me._ " Gandoma said, crossing his arms.

Looking at Ruihi, the Lucifer Heiress saw none of her retainers with her.

"Hey Ruihi, why didn't you bring anyone?" She asked.

"Because for something like this? Everyone single one of them is an idiot." She bluntly answered.

Everyone sweat dropped at that.

"Balberith is too likely to pick a fight, Verrine could easily end up _too_ friendly with the wrong person, Sonneillon could rush around beyond my sight and get in trouble, and with Gressil..." Ruihi explained.

"He'd give us away with his screams?" Sona answered, giving an awkward chuckle.

Rugal shivered in response, cleaning his ear out.

"Exactly, so I decided to ask Itsuki to come in their steed, as he's actually got some experience in this area." The Satan Heiress confirmed.

She then looks at the Asmodeus Heiress, giving her a flat look.

"And to make sure that _you_ don't play that godawful song again for _any_ reason." Ruihi stated, her words emphasizing her feelings towards the song in question.

"Oh, come on! You're still holding that against me!?" Shuriliu complained.

Millarca blinked, inching near Sona.

"What's she talking about?" She whispered, looking confused.

"Shuriliu had Ruihi listen to that Oppai Song she created last year, and what happened was..." Sona whispered back.

Millarca's eyes widened in horror.

"Why did I ask?" Millarca whimpered, shaking in terror at what she had just been told.

Elmenhilde lowered her head onto the wall.

'This is torture...' She thought, feeling like she had a migraine.

A magic circle soon appeared by the group, making everyone look as Lilith's form projected from it.

〖"Everyone, thank you for gathering here under short notice to aid in trying to stop the Vampires and Werewolves' war. I need you all to head to the station and take a train that'll hopefully sneak you into Romania enough that you'll barely have to fight before getting inside their territories."〗 The Devil Queen stated.

She looked at Elmenhilde.

〖"Elmenhilde, is there anyone on your side that you'll be able to meet up with?"〗 Lilith asked.

"Yes, and I'm sure that Lady Morrighan has already told her the details... they'll tolerate your presence." She answered.

"Good, you don't beat around the bush. I like you already." Ruihi smirked.

The Vampiress showed some surprise at that reply, not expecting anyone to actually praise her for that.

"Understood mom, we'll head out right now." Vali replied.

* * *

The Romania Liberation group was soon on the train, waiting on ways to pass the time as the speeding train tried to hurry to its chosen destination. As everyone was waiting for time to pass, Ravel and Yumina were seen helping Millarca organize some information she brought.

"And... done!" Ravel smiled.

"Thank you, I had to grab these in a hurry and got them all scattered." Millarca smiled.

"You need to relax more." Yumina remarked.

Saji's Queen gave and awkward laugh at that, followed by Yumina whistling with her fingers, getting everyone's attention.

"Everyone, due to who Issei and Vali fought recently, and the fact Crom Cruach was verified by Riser Phenex to have been the one that pushed the Celtic Pantheon to the brink of complete destruction... I think we need to expect any of them could show up." She explained.

"Saji gave me some info based on what Vritra remembers about his fellow kin, or... maybe former, since we're not sure if he's still an Evil Dragon after being sealed in a Sacred Gear, and how it evolved into a Longinus last year." Millarca said in response.

Moving a holograph screen into view, she began with the one most knew about.

"Starting with Orochi, eh? Guess that makes sense when you recall last year's events in Alfheim." Ruihi replied.

Millarca started, and began telling his legend...

* * *

_The sight of Japan during the 13th century was scene, where Orochi unleashed a loud hiss-like roar from all of his heads before they sprayed venom across the landscape, causing many to scream in terror._

_At one home, a couple with eight daughters was seen, with the Evil Dragon glaring down at them._

"Orochi's fame began around 800 years ago, during a time Susanoo had been controlling the weather so rain would favor the growth of produce for that season, but the Shinto Gods quickly noticed only devastation where the rain went. Knowing that something was wrong, the Storm God decided to check, hoping that acid rain hadn't been the result."

_Susanoo walked around, quickly noticing the venom's unnatural nature, confusing him beyond belief. That's when he found the same couple Orochi had found before... only seven of their eight daughters were gone._

_Wondering what happened, they told him the story, and was horrified to learn what the Evil Dragon had done to the rest of their children._

"The horror that made Orochi and Evil Dragon quickly became clear... he made a couple give up one of their children in a sick compromise of sparring everyone else in the village, until they only had their youngest left, who was expected to be next. After that, nothing would stop him from razing them down. That's when Susanoo had an idea, quickly asking Amaterasu to lend him the Murakumo, and preparing to slay the evil beast."

_Orochi came, noticing the sake bowls from the legends as his seven other heads began guzzling it, but upon the main head getting near the last keg... he suddenly noticed something off as he sniffed it. Realizing this, he raged around, surprising Susanoo as he learned the other heads were Orochi's equivalent to other Dragons' appendages._

"Unfortunately, the Storm God underestimated the cunning of the Venom Blood Dragon, and he was forced to fight the beast at full strength."

_Wielding Murakumo, the Shinto God of Storms clashed with the hydra-like Dragon, tearing up the area as his control over the weather aided him battle, and crashed both lightning and wind against the mighty beast. Murakumo began to tear through Orochi's heads until finally... Susanoo managed slice it off. The Storm God watched as the Evil Dragon looked at him, and spat its last words._

"In the end, the Dragon was felled, but Orochi spat that he would return one day... and it would be sooner than Susanoo or his family would expect."

_The Evil Dragon's body soon dispersed into energy, marking the Evil Dragon beginning his resurrection cycle._

* * *

After hearing the story, Ruihi was the first to speak up.

"Before it just had poison and those other heads it used as limbs, but now it's able to fly and use a different element for each head. That's definitely an improvement." The Satan Heiress remarked.

"You aren't wrong about that. Saji told me how he had to fight Orochi off, and even today, he's not sure how big a factor luck was in that." Millarca agreed.

Moving onto the next was Nidhoggr.

"Nidhoggr's legends aren't as big, just that he was a Dragon tied to Helheim and said to survive Ragnarok... which most people technically did considering that was the original Great War by all means. He's got powerful miasma clouds that corrode everything, and some skill in magic, but is most notable for having a resurrection cycle of just a single month... which now seems to have become instant based on what Issei and Vali's peerages have learned." She continued.

Yumina looked away at that, only verifying that last bit.

"We better not have to deal with him." Coriana begged.

"And you're right. How he grows even bigger when he eats something, and you can only revert him back to normal size by killing him based on what we saw." Kuroka replied.

Shuriliu immediately got pulled into a tight hug by her main fiancé, who shivered at the thought.

'Well, this is an interesting way for us to start cuddling, but I'm not complaining!' She mentally chuckled, hugging her back.

Millarca took a moment before putting Grendel on screen.

"And then we have Grendel, a very old Dragon who loves to dish out pain, and take it. He doesn't try to evade or even defend... he wants to be hurt for the thrill of seeing just how durable he is. While he defends well, he's also very fast, hits hard, and has some serious firepower. Sirzechs' one Pawn is the descendant of the being who fought him... and died alongside him." She continued.

With that, another story flashed through her mind.

* * *

_Grendel, who was in his old appearance as a four-legged Dragon who could hunch over to stand on just two, was seen terrorizing a town as he laughed at all the destruction. Everyone tried to attack, but he barely felt their blows as he let them strike._

_Suddenly, he was knocked down a bit as a strong warrior hit him, giving him his first gaze on the legendary Beowulf._

"Beowulf came to fight the monster, and the legends described him so oddly, Humanity failed to realize he, the Dragon, and his so-called mother were all the same individual in three separate battles."

_Feeling excited, the two fought for a bit, though after taking a huge blow... the Crime Force Dragon realized this area was not the right kind for them to battle in, and immediately set fire to the city before rushing away, laughing as if to bait his opponent to follow him. Luckily, that's exactly what Beowulf chose to do, and it wasn't long before they met in a deep cave area._

_Their battle resumed, this time without Grendel limited by the environment. Beowulf's armor struggled to fight off Grendel, who eventually gave him a better sword, just to make the fight more enjoyable for the Evil Dragon._

"Beowulf and Grendel fought intensely, and eventually, the second battle came to end in what looked to be the former's victory."

_With a mighty swing, the entire cave area began to collapse, and Grendel's eyes widened as the rubble fell on him, giving Beowulf the chance to flee. However, despite he wasn't harmed, the Crime Force Dragon went along with this as a little game of his._

_After waiting a month under the rocks, he broke free, and did the most savage thing he could think of to truly push Beowulf into fighting him at his limit... wrecking his own home at his full strength! This time, Beowulf didn't hold back, and their battle pushed him into finally dealing a fatal blow to Grendel, surprising the Evil Dragon at how easily he shattered through his defense... before he lunged forward to deal the same kind of wound on Beowulf._

"That was it for Beowulf, who died just as the legends mentioned, leaving everyone to mourn him as Grendel entered his resurrection cycle, hoping that he'd find the same kind of battle when he did."

_Grendel laughed as his body dissolved away, leaving everyone to believe the Dragon was dead._

* * *

Leelexe shivered at that.

"I'm calling it now, that Dragon's completely insane!" She shouted.

" _He has to be._ " Gandoma grunted in reply.

Millarca raised her eyes up for a moment, and shrugged her arms before moving to the next Dragon, showing the one known as Ladon.

"I'm fairly sure that most people know about this one." The Vampiress mentioned.

"Of course, that's the Insomniac Dragon: Ladon, the one who led to the Innovate Clear's creation, and the Dragon who guarded the tree in one of Heracles' 12 labors." Vali replied.

"That's right, he guarded the Golden Apples that he had to obtain for his 11th labor, and he was known for powerful defenses. Heracles broke through them all before slaying the Dragon." Sona confirmed.

Hearing this, Issei was slightly surprised by how different Ladon sounded.

"So, you're saying Ladon wasn't a fighter, but a defender?" The Red Dragon Emperor asked, making sure he didn't mishear anything.

"Yep." Rugal confirmed.

"Wow... guess I need to consider how he'd use them by Evil Dragon standards then." Issei replied.

Millarca soon moved to a Dragon that looked slightly chimeric.

"This is probably the most enigmatic of the Evil Dragons, but no less dangerous despite that. His name is Amaru, the Malevolent Arms Dragon, or as some might know him? He was the-" She continued.

"Dragon of Saint George's story." Issei finished in her place, remembering the words of his Aunt Amaterasu.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Learned about him when I first got Murakumo, but that's the only thing I know. Millarca will have to fill in the rest of those gaps." He admitted.

"Well, just as Issei said, he's the Dragon from Saint George's legend, and known for having a chimeric appearance. This is why he got his title, because he's malevolent, and has bits and pieces of other species. In other words, the _arms_ of more than just a Dragon." Millarca verified.

The Belphegor Heiress shivered a bit once she heard that.

"And boy was it a fitting title. He's a Dragon that can fight like various other creatures, so he's basically a Chimera that's... not one." Millarca replied, struggling to describe him.

" _Sounds like he was pretty strong with such a name._ " Gandoma grunted.

"He had to be, because Ascalon had to have Murakumo put inside of it just for Saint George to kill him in battle." Issei agreed.

Vali looked at Millarca, getting the Vampiress' attention.

"Question is how strong is he among the Evil Dragons? I do know Saint George is a legend, so..." The White Dragon Empress asked, showing a curious look on her face.

"Hmm... I'd say around the level of Azi Dahaka and Apophis is a good estimate." Millarca replied.

And upon bringing them up, she revealed the Evil Dragon of Egypt into view, showing the huge Dragon by the environment.

"Wow, he's huge!" Sona exclaimed.

"I'm certain he's the largest of the Evil Dragons, which makes sense when you recall he's mistaken as a snake by Egyptian Myth, and that's common for Eastern Dragons." Saji's Queen replied.

**("Happened to Quetzalcoatl, and my powers give plenty homage to snakes themselves.")** Ophis agreed.

"Yeah, and his powers are both varied and powerful. He's strong, got magic, is able to control darkness, and it took wisdom over strength just to defeat him." Millarca continued.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at everyone.

"Do all of you remember how Aten passed on his powers to Ra in the Second Great War, and had him die in a way that acted like they lost strength only at Ra's level?" She asked.

"Let me guess, this is related to Apophis defeat?" Issei guessed.

Millarca nodded her head.

"It all happened like this..." She started.

* * *

_Apophis roared as he smashed through Egypt, causing massive destruction as he did, and even sending a massive amount of mud into waters, causing the first of what would be the Plagues of Egypt in the coming days. Ra shouted as the Egyptian Gods charged against the coming threat, despite how one-sided it seemed._

"What made him so dangerous was he ripped through Egypt like he was the Lord himself, his actions leading to the plagues, and even being the direct reason for two of them. The damage he caused muddied the water to resemble blood, causing first, which led to a chain reaction up to the eighth. He then blackened the sky with his powers to cause the ninth, and all that damage caused problems to food that killed the firstborns due to priority reasons."

_Egypt was seen nearly in ruins, with Apophis' battle soon heading to the pyramids, with Aten sweating as he saw the Evil Dragon's approach grow closer. Struggling to get up, Ra quickly noticed one of the Pyramids that had its topmost area damaged... and got an idea._

_Flying to Aten, he announced what it was, and got his attention. Many of Egypt's best magic users were gathered as the Egyptian Gods bought more time to pull off Ra's strategy, while he got Apophis' attention once again. Their efforts paid off when Ra fired a blast, and the Magicians used the brief distraction to pull Apophis into the pyramid's top._

"Ra ended up saving Egypt through his thinking, and knocked Apophis inside a pyramid, firing an attack that finished the Evil Dragon by sealing the top with him still trapped inside, giving the attack no end until they knew he was destroyed to remove the top."

_Ra channeled a sphere like the sun, and then closed the top before he commanded it to release, sending beams of light throughout the pyramid's inside, striking Apophis without end until the Eclipse Dragon was finally slain, and forced into his resurrection cycle._

* * *

Asia listened in surprise as Millarca finished, soon replying with a light smile and clap.

"Wow, that was smart." She praised.

"Yeah, and that action was so incredible, Aten decided Ra would succeed him if anything were to happen. That's why Ra inherited his strength when he neared death's door." Millarca explained.

Issei chuckled at that, but in a respectful way.

"That's the kind of crazy that deserves to be rewarded... although I'll admit, how'd Egypt not find out about a battle if that caused the plagues?" He replied, soon giving a confused look.

"Uh... that's a good question." Millarca admitted.

"No one's really sure on that either. I think the best theory right now is that a magic barrier was cast, and Apophis was strong enough that the damage still went through, but everyone mistook it as natural disasters." Sona explained.

The Sekiryuutei blinked, and looked at his left hand.

**["I've never heard anything that says it's impossible. After all, my dad could probably do it with his power."]** Ddraig replied.

**["Well, I'd never actually try it, but Ddraig makes a good point."]** Great Red agreed.

Hearing that, Issei just shrugged his arms, deciding to just go with Sona's theory... at least for the time being. Immediately after his thought, Millarca brought up the image of a purple Dragon with three heads, six wings, and body like Tannin's if it had more width.

"Now we have Azi Dahaka, and... let's just say if he ever did something on Apophis level? There's no one who could have reported it." She continued, looking a bit scared.

"Uh... why is that?" Asia asked, looking nervous.

Vali looked at her, making her sweat a bit as she noticed the Lucifer Heiress' expression.

"Recall how Crom Cruach nearly destroyed the Celtic Pantheon, and recent implications show he chose not for some bigger reason? Well... long before that, Azi Dahaka succeeded in doing that to the Persian Pantheon." She revealed.

Asia gasped, shocking everyone else that didn't know.

"Azi Dahaka destroyed an entire pantheon by himself!?" Issei exclaimed.

"He did... Azi Dahaka's got three heads, and unlike Orochi, each has its own personality. Combine that with having thousands of spells as his Diabolism Thousand title reveals, and most of them forbidden spells, paired with fangs that are Dragon Slayers... he earns his threat." Sona confirmed.

Issei sweated at that, already understanding his threat.

"As for Crom Cruach... well, Saji felt Balor was a better choice to explain that." Millarca finished.

Hearing his name being called, Balor's eye appears on Gasper's hand, before the sealed Evil God was able to speak a word...

"Something's wrong!" Kuroka shouted.

At that moment, a huge explosion suddenly hit the train, causing an alarm to go off.

『"WARNING! WARNING! Derailment has been confirmed, hurry to the emergency escape before-"』

The warning fizzled into static before it could finish.

"Great... something just had to go wrong right before we arrived." Ruihi sighed, resting a hand on her forehead.

"Quick, everyone gather around me! We've gotta jump out!" Issei ordered.

No one hesitated upon hearing Issei's command, and quickly gathered around him as the Boosted Gear quickly manifested on his left hand.

**["DREAM!"]**

Right at that moment, a red flash shot out of the train as it crashed through the dimensional gate.

* * *

It was only a few minutes later that everyone started to regain consciousness, and noticed themselves in a dark forest. The most interesting sight was Elmenhilde shaking at the side, looking like she'd vomit not from nausea, but pure terror.

"Easy there Elme, just breathe." Millarca whispered, trying to help her calm down.

Looking around, Issei walked up to Saji's Queen.

"Hey, Millarca? Do you know where my escape jump brought us? I didn't have time to decide where we'd land." He asked.

"Well, the good news? We're in Romania alright, and definitely in the right area, but the bad news is I'm unsure of the exact location." She answered, rubbing Elmenhilde's back.

"Let me guess... you don't know if we're near the people Elmenhilde wants us to find." The Sekiryuutei assumed.

The Vampire Queen didn't reply, confirming Issei's thoughts without saying anything.

"Well, since we have Rugal in our group, I don't think we need to worry too much. We can probably track her, and we still ended up where we needed to be." He shrugged, realizing things weren't too bad.

Elmenhilde soon held out something, which Issei realized must have had a scent to aid in finding the Vampire they were looking for.

"Did we get any injuries?" Vali asked, finally getting on her feet.

"Nope, looks like the worst we got was getting roughed up." Leelexe replied, seeing a few scratches on her.

"Speak for yourself..." Ruihi replied.

Everyone looked to see the Satan Heiress push a bunch of rocks off her.

"Let's ignore that though, I think the bigger worry is who managed to attack the train while it was in its dimensional gate? That shouldn't be possible." She remarked.

"Ruihi's right, the train shouldn't have received an attack while we were in there." Shuriliu replied.

Looking around, she tried to find the wreckage.

"It's over here." Rugal said, point the other way.

Shuriliu noticed where it was, blushing as she realized it had been in the direction behind her.

"R-right, I knew that..." She chuckled embarrassingly.

Activating her Perfect Vision, the Asmodeus Heiress examined the damage to the train, and that's when she noticed something.

"The train... it didn't get attacked at all." She said, looking afraid.

"What do you mean?" Leelexe asked.

"My eyes don't lie, and from what information they've gathering... it crashed into something in front of it, even though the emergency break should have stopped that!" Shuriliu exclaimed in fear.

Everyone was confused... until a few stomps were heard, getting the group's attention.

"Hold on... we crashed, but the train spotted nothing to crash into... almost like what we hit was..." Ruihi thought aloud.

"Ruihi?" Millarca asked in confusion.

"Guys, quick question... is the train able to notice something transparent or that looks transparent in a place like the inside of a dimensional gate?" The Satan Heiress asked.

Valerie suddenly widened her eyes at that.

"You don't mean..." She realized, feeling nervous at the approaching stomps.

"I think we're about to meet the one who made us crash." Ruihi confirmed, getting into a fighting stance.

At that moment, the sight of a Dragon's silhouette made itself known, quickly revealing it was a tan-colored Dragon with claws like roots, and a twisted tree possessing pale gray leaves growing out of its back. Its eyes were pure white, though it wasn't blind, and the jagged shapes on its jaw were also its teeth.

"No way... that Dragon has a tree growing out of its back!" Coriana gasped.

"Of course, that must be how we crashed. Ladon formed a barrier, and even if the train did see it, he could have formed it before the train could react." Rias realized.

"You mean that's Ladon!?" Gasper panicked.

Hearing his name, the tree-like Dragon moved his gaze towards Balor's host, showing movement that proved he wasn't blind.

"It seems that even Vampires outside of Romania's borders know my name. Doesn't matter, because all of you are the ones that _he_ asked me to take care of." The Insomniac Dragon answered.

His leaves glowed as he gathered the faint photon particles in the air, making everyone dodge as he unleashed a light beam in his mouth.

**{Ruihi, get up close so I can send him the message.}** Crom reminded her.

'Right.' She replied.

The Satan Heiress rushed ahead at that moment, using her high speed to close the gap in seconds... and still failing to deal a blow as Ladon countered with a powerful barrier. This one moment let Ruihi's eyes flash, which let Ladon motion his head.

Using the moment, the duo acted like his barrier pushed Ruihi back like a mirror, causing everyone to look as she skidded back.

"Damn, to think he could make a barrier that fast!" She grunted.

"I bet that was part of his little upgrade package, because I'm fairly sure Heracles had to use a combination of speed and strength to beat Ladon's barriers." Millarca remarked.

Ladon chuckled before slamming his claws into the ground, sending a swarm of roots towards the group.

"Elme, Gasper, Valerie! All together!" Saji's Queen shouted.

They all held their hands out, creating shadows to counter the roots in a combined lock, followed by Millarca releasing a thick cloud of mist.

"Let's use this chance to blindside him!" She exclaimed.

"Hold up, something's wrong." Rugal warned.

The Vampiress was confused, only to suddenly hear a slurping sound as she turned around... seeing Ladon sucking all of the mist into his body!

"What!?" She exclaimed.

"It must be that tree-like body, he used it to suck all the mist's moisture!" Rias exclaimed.

"Good thing my sister taught me how to make my water into ice, or I'd be screwed right now..." Sona replied, sweating nervously.

Issei looked at Ravel, who nodded as she flew into the air.

"Everyone, since our usual teams aren't here, I'll coordinate our attacks!" She announced.

"Understood!" Everyone replied.

"Issei and Vali, focus the power of your Sacred Gears to fight the dragon! Gasper, Valerie, Elmenhilde, and Millarca; distract him best you can! Ruihi, Gandoma, Kuroka, and Rugal; focus on limiting its movements! Everyone else stay at long-range! Asia, adapt yourself among all the groups depending on how Ladon reacts!" Ravel ordered.

Everyone spread themselves out, with Ladon looking in response.

**("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!") ("DIVIDE!")**

Feeling his power weaken, Ladon grunted a bit, right as Kuroka activated her Nekomata Mode LV 4.

"Hey scaly, over here!" She exclaimed.

The Insomniac Dragons noticed the Lucifer Bishop as she threw her fist forward to strike Ladon, who immediately formed a barrier, and then lunged forward... surprising everyone as the barrier got elastic from it, and shot into the Black Nekoshou's body!

Kuroka immediately hit hard into a tree, making blood come off her head before Asia cast long-ranged healing on her.

"Crap... don't directly hit that barrier if you're not on the ground!" She warned.

"It can still attack through that barrier? Just what kind of madman brought these things back in these stronger forms?" Rias asked herself, almost feeling some familiarity.

The Bael Heiress immediately shot her palms out.

" **Cataclysm Wave!** "

Ladon blocked the ocean of Rias' signature power as it struck him, making her grunt as Sona charged her own attack.

"Rias, go full out! I've got an idea!" She shouted.

"OK!" The Heiress of Bael replied.

Activating her Aura Break, she activated her Aura of Destruction, spewing out even more power that slightly pushed Ladon forward... by a few centimeters.

" **Material Freezing!** "

Launching out her water, it became ice that wrapped around Rias' attack, causing a chain reaction as the opposing forces of destruction and creation melded together. A bunch of smoke cleared, though Ladon immediately spun around, knocking it away.

**["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"] ["BOOST!"]**

"Issei, do it now!" Ravel exclaimed.

"OK!" He replied.

At that moment, he smashed his fists together.

**["EXPLOSION!"]**

Ladon immediately saw the Red Dragon Emperor appear before him, flaring with all the power he just charged.

" **Crimson Flare!** "

**["PENETRATE!"]**

Issei's signature attack smashed into Ladon, and... failed to break his barriers, surprising everyone as he only cracked the barrier!

"No way!" He shouted.

**["I never fought Ladon before, but for him to be able to defend against that?"]** Ddraig remarked in shock.

**["Don't be too star struck, you still cracked his barrier, and I can tell he's not weakened like his comrades. That means this is the limit of his barrier, and you just need to get stronger before you can break it."]** Great Red responded.

Ladon sweated as he heard the Dragon of Dreams give away his secrets.

" **Create Dreamer!** "

While distracted, a bunch of chains suddenly formed from the ground, locking Ladon in place.

"Let's see..." Shuriliu hummed.

" **Perfect Vision.** "

Her eyes activated their signature power, analyzing the damage Issei did before checking other factors, and turning to look at Coriana.

"It might not work like usual against him, but your powers should disrupt his senses for a while." The Asmodeus Heiress stated.

"Understood." She smiled.

Ladon prepared another light beam, only to suddenly feel a bit off centered as pink mist released itself from Coriana's body, with everyone else unaffected by the Andrealphus Heiress' choice.

'Can't... focus!' The Evil Dragon grunted.

Yumina knelt down, sending her trio of Shadow-Yumina's to rush at him.

" **Phoenix Shot!** "

Ravel unleashed her version of Issei's Dragon Shot, and right as the attacks looked like they'd hit... Ladon rose his legs up before pushing down again, causing him to sink into ground!

"Wait, did he just dig underground!?" Leelexe exclaimed.

Sniffing around, Rugal turned to the left before forming a magic circle around his fist, and striking it. Ladon popped out as the force shot him out, though he was still unharmed.

"Was that all?" He smirked in a mocking tone.

**("RELEASE!")**

Ladon looked up upon hearing that, only for his eyes to nearly bug out as Vali had prepared the thousands of magic circles for her signature attack.

" **Silvery Starlight!** "

All of the beams came raining down, and the Evil Dragon barely defend against it, though the ground sunk under him... with no signs Vali's attack was even getting through!

"Damn it! As long as we can't break those barriers, this is just wasting our strength!" She grunted.

Taking a moment, Asia's eyes widened as she looked towards Gasper.

"Gasper, freeze him in time while he's not making a barrier! He can't defend if he can't make a barrier!" The Dragon Tamer shouted.

"Hey, that's right!" He realized.

Vali heard the plan, and stopped the attack on Ladon, who had not been as lucky, and immediately got into Gasper's gaze.

**«"DISTORT!"»**

"What the-" Ladon shouted, immediately being frozen.

Ruihi gave a toothy grin, and shifted her stance, releasing a powerful amount of fire and lightning from her.

" **Raging Fury!** "

Smashing her fists forward, her flames and thunder rushed towards the Insomniac Dragon... right as his tail suddenly began moving, and knocked them away.

"What the hell!?" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"Gasper, what's wrong!?" Rias asked.

"I... don't know! I can't keep a hold on him!" Gasper grunted.

Shuriliu's eyes focused on the Dragon.

"Not sure how, but it looks like there's some kind of interference! Ladon will break free any-" She warned.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't finish that sentence as the tree-like Evil Dragon managed to free himself, and unleashed a mighty roar. The attack unleashed a powerful flash, smashing everyone with a wave of light before they could react.

The light wave quickly shattered as Ruihi screamed, completely destroying it with a powerful blasting of her Rampancy Impact.

"Damn it, this Dragon's starting to piss me off!" She exclaimed.

" _We can't break through its barriers, and Gasper can't hold him in time because of some kind of interference. Just how do we defeat such a monster?_ " Gandoma asked with a grunt.

Ruihi gritted her tooth for a moment, then suddenly got an idea.

**「** **Fairy Tail: Dragon Force** **」**

"Gasper, how long did your hold last before you started to struggle?" The Satan Heiress asked.

"Uh, about... 15 seconds maybe? Why?" He replied.

"I've got an idea, but I need you and Leelexe to set things up before I can say it." Ruihi explained, cracking her knuckles.

Leelexe blinked, seeing the Heiress of Satan turn to her.

"Quick, chain him up again!" She ordered.

"Uh... alright!" Leelexe replied.

Holding her hands out, Ladon felt her Create Dreamer bind him in chains again.

"Aim the strongest attacks you can quickly cast at his head! If we can't win, then let's hope we can knock him out and escape!" Ruihi shouted.

Issei's eyes widened.

"Sounds like a gamble, but it might just work!" He replied, agreeing to the idea.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Allow me to give us the opening chance!" Vali offered, horizontally motioning herself in the air.

"Oh?" Ladon replied.

The Lucifer Heiress dove towards the ground, and Ladon chose to react by charging up a light beam again, then immediately firing it off. Vali smirked the moment he did that.

" **Black Hole!** "

Ladon's eyes widened at that, right as Power of Hole's distortions appeared, gobbling up the attack.

"Now, time for you to taste..." Vali exclaimed.

"I won't let you!" Ladon screamed.

Forming his barriers again, he was caught off guard as the spheres compressed onto each other, surrounding his shield before Vali held her open hand out.

" **Primal Abyss!** "

The area was immediately ripped apart by the brief appearance of a black hole, and slingshot the Insomniac Dragon while he was still inside of his barrier. It immediately crashed into a heavily concentrated area of trees, followed by Ladon's head smashing against his own barrier.

He screamed in pain before the barrier faded away.

" _Doubt he got a concussion, but that's gotta be our chance!_ " Gandoma shouted.

"Gasper, do it now!" Rias shouted.

The Dhampir Bishop nodded, and his eyes activated as Ladon was frozen in time again. Everyone took the chance to attack while Elmenhilde hid without anyone's notice. Right at that moment, everyone began their attacks, starting with those who didn't call out a specific move.

" **Extinguished Star!** "

" **Hellish Geyser!** "

" **Howling Cannon!** "

" **Create Dreamer: Javelin!** "

" ** _Awakened Force!_** "

" **Invader Sight!** "

" **Phantom Strike!** "

" **Phoenix Blast!** "

" **Kasha!** "

As all of the attacks hit, Asia rushed through with her fist glowing, then spun to slam a powerful right hook. Using Ladon's body to balance herself, she jumped off as Issei, Vali, and Ruihi took their chance... right as Ladon's tail began to break out again.

"H-hurry!" Gasper grunted.

"You heard him, now or never!" Ruihi screamed.

And with that, all three of them launched their signature abilities forward.

" **Blazing Dawn!** "  
" **Ethereal Twilight!** "  
" **Shadowy Dusk!** "

The three different forces all slammed into Ladon, causing a huge explosion of fire, light, and darkness across the spot he was at... only for him to stand up!

**「** **Insert Song End** **」**

"You can't be serious!" Coriana exclaimed.

Ladon roared, glaring at the group with an intense and focused rage.

"That's it, you... are all... dead!" He screamed.

"Come on, there's got to be something we haven't tried yet!" Issei exclaimed.

At that moment, he remembered what his Penetrate did.

'Of course! Why didn't I think of that before!" He realized, smirking as he rushed ahead.

Everyone was surprised.

'What's Issei doing?' Vali thought, unsure of her husband's strategy.

" **Crimson Flare!** "

As the Red Dragon Emperor rushed ahead with his signature attack, Ladon formed his barriers once again.

**["PENETRATE!"]**

He smashed into the barrier, and caused another crack like before.

**["DREAM!"]**

**["PENETRATE!"]**

Before Ladon could react, another impact cracked his barrier further, surprising the Insomniac Dragon!

"What is this!?" He demanded.

**["PENETRATE!"] ["PENETRATE!"] ["PENETRATE!"] ["PENETRATE!"] ["PENETRATE!"]**

Each burst slowly cracked the barrier further, until it finally shattered outright!

With his main defense shot, Ladon suddenly screamed as his body cracked open in a few spots, showing a discharge backfiring on him from the destroyed barrier.

"The hell!?" Ruihi screamed in surprise.

"Of course! Penetrate was able to crack the shield, so Issei used Great Red's power to rapidly duplicate the effect in an instant!" Vali realized.

"And by doing so, Ladon's barriers had no time to recover!" Shuriliu added.

Ladon shakily glared at the Sekiryuutei, opening his mouth to charge a light breath at him, though before Issei could even react, counter, or strike against the tree-like Evil Dragon...

" **Black Slasher!** "

Hearing something from behind, Ladon immediately turned around... only to instantly get hit by an attack that made his body freeze up. Just moments after, everyone stared in shock as the Evil Dragon fell to his side.

Taking a moment, everyone watched as Shuriliu's Perfect Vision looked at the situation, while Ruihi immediately realized what happened.

"Yes, he's unconscious!" The Asmodeus Heiress cheered.

" _But where did that attack come from?_ " Gandoma questioned, looking around.

Ruihi smirked a bit.

"You just had to make a flashy entrance, didn't you Itsuki?" Ruihi questioned.

Right at that moment, everyone heard a scream as the black-haired Hero fell from the tree, making everyone wince a bit. The Satan Heiress gave a dull stare as he quickly got back on his feet.

"Did it work?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"Gee, did you not fall on your butt in front of everyone?" Ruihi retorted.

Itsuki sweat dropped at that, giving an odd chuckle.

"Wow, just as harsh as ever..." The black-haired Hero sighed, yet smiling at his girlfriend's expected remark.

Clearing his throat, he looked at the group.

"Anyways, while we were waiting for you to show up, the news that your train got attacked reached us. I managed to sneak in as a spy for the Tepes Faction, so I had a good excuse to run over and give all of you aid." Itsuki explained his arrival.

"Fill us on the rest as we head back, I doubt Mr. Dragon Tree over here won't stay passed out much longer." Ruihi replied.

"Yeah, while I can give an average for how long he'd be unconscious, he could wake up in minutes or seconds if we don't leave right now." Shuriliu agreed.

Right as they heard that, groaning was heard from Ladon.

"I think that's how soon Ladon will wake up, run for it!" Vali screamed, getting a head start.

And that was enough to send everyone running.

When everyone was out of range, the Insomniac Dragon finally woke up, groaning as he scratched some of his wooden scales.

"Damn Ruihi..." He grunted, remembering earlier in the fight.

* * *

_Ladon's leaves glowed as he gathered the faint photon particles in the air, making everyone dodge as he unleashed a light beam in his mouth._

_Ruihi rushed ahead at that moment, using her high speed to close the gap in seconds... and still failing to deal a blow as Ladon countered with a powerful barrier. This one moment let Ruihi's eyes flash, aiming them at the Insomniac Dragon's gaze._

**_{Itsuki is heading this way under his guise as the Carmilla Faction's double agent, draw this battle out until then, and when he arrives to attack you? Immediately fake you were knocked unconscious.}_ ** _Crom stated._

_'What!?' Ladon responded._

**_{You will do it, and you know why.}_ ** _Crom warned, reminding them what Marius intended._

_Ladon gave a mental growl, though nodded his head in agreement._

_Using the moment from receiving the message to his advantage, the duo acted like his barrier pushed Ruihi back like a mirror, causing everyone to look as she skidded back._

* * *

Walking his slightly injured self-back to Qliphoth's headquarters, the Insomniac Dragon glared a bit.

"To make me lose on purpose, that Rizevim bastard needs to drop his obsession over the granddaughter he's not even related to anymore." He growled.

A portal formed before him, and he walked through it.

* * *

Once it become clear to everyone that Ladon had not followed them, they all took a moment to breathe.

"Looks like we're safe, so let's get into the Carmilla Faction's territory before Ladon manages to get lucky." Itsuki stated, looking to the side.

"I bet you got lost, and we're nowhere near-" Elmenhilde huffed.

Itsuki immediately slammed his hand backwards, causing a tree trunk to move and reveal a hidden passage.

"You were saying Elme?" Millarca smirked in a playful manner.

The Vampiress glared at her old friend, silently turning her head like she was a tsundere.

"Alright, last one in is a rotten egg!" Itsuki shouted.

He did a back flip towards the hole... only for his head to land on the trunk, making everyone wince a little.

"Uh... Ruihi, is this why you tend to give him a hard time?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, he can kind of be an idiot, so I need to keep him in line... otherwise he might get himself killed" Ruihi sighed, nodding her head.

Itsuki soon fell into the hole, and everyone followed him.

Sliding through it, they eventually began walking the rest of the way, finally arriving inside the Carmilla Faction's walls.

"Halt!"

Everyone held their hands up as a bunch of Vampires manipulated shadows near them as sharp weapons, only to see Elmenhilde walk in front of the group.

"Stand down, they're the ones who we've been forced to have aid us." Elmenhilde explained, sighing as she did.

All of the Vampires moved away in response.

"Be thankful for the fact I was here to prevent that." Elmenhilde stated.

"Just so you know, I hate you already." Ruihi stated.

"That's good, because the feeling's mutual." The Vampiress replied, glaring at her in response.

As the two stared, Millarca tried put on a disguise, but before she could...

"Millarca!" A male voice shouted.

The silver-haired Vampiress groaned as she threw off the bits of her disguise she had managed to get on, seeing a male Vampire with a noticeable goatee and a black cloth covering most of body as he walked up to her.

"Who's that?" Leelexe asked.

"That's Lord Carmilla, he's the closest thing this faction has to a leader since the Queen died in last year's war." Itsuki explained.

He stood before Millarca, who gave him a stinky eye look.

"I see you've finally come back, am I to believe that you've finally chosen to act on your responsibilities and leave your delusions behind?" He asked, glaring at her.

Millarca gritted her teeth at that.

"Only reason I came back was because of Elme, and the fact she's my friend. I've already told you before I have no intentions of helping you all while you stay as racist jerks!" Millarca shouted, pointing at his chest.

"Wait, huh?" Vali blinked.

Everyone looked at Itsuki, who shook his head to show he had no idea what was going on.

"I can answer this." Elmenhilde replied.

She took a deep sigh.

"I respect Millarca enough not to say anything, but... she uses Vordenburg as a surname because it used to be her father's. The man you're seeing her argue with right now." The Vampiress revealed.

"Wait, if that's her father, then... that would mean-" Vali gasped, putting the pieces together.

Sighing a bit, Millarca stopped her arguing to look at her friends.

"That's right, just as Valerie is a Tepes... I'm actually a Vampire of the Carmilla household, and the next in line as a result of the Second Great War." She confirmed.

Upon hearing Saji's Queen was actually a Carmilla, everyone froze in shock.

'Didn't see that coming.' Ruihi thought.

**{Yeah, neither did I.}** Crom agreed.

Lord Carmilla slammed his foot down, staring at Millarca with glowing eyes that lowered the temperature to a freezing level.

"Insolent child! I've had enough of your rebellious attitude, and you will think of your superiority to others as we do whether you want to or not!" He roared, preparing to strike her.

Valerie's eyes widened before she began to glow.

"Wait, Valerie!" Rias warned.

"Stop it!" She screamed.

Everyone Vampire aside from Gasper screamed a bit from the bright flash she emitted, even Millarca wasn't unfazed.

"Ow..." Saji's Queen winced.

The Bael Bishop gasped as she covered her mouth.

"O-oh god, I'm so sorry!" She apologized.

"Damn it... you got lucky, but you won't get off as easy next time." Lord Carmilla grunted, covering his now irritated eyes.

He walked off, and some Vampires left with him.

"I'm sorry you all had to see that. Ever since my mom and all my older siblings died, he's been on my case worse than usual, especially since I ended up joining a peerage." Millarca apologized, putting some eye drops to restore her vision.

"Don't be, I honestly respect you for being a princess that calls out her own race's bastardized nature and hypocrisy." Ruihi replied.

"Uh... thanks Ruihi." The Vampiress replied, blushing in embarrassment.

Itsuki shrugged a bit, and took his sword out.

"Well, better sneak back over to the Tepes side before things get too suspicious. Mind heading over with me Ruihi?" He asked.

"Sure thing, they can't know me as well as the other Maou Heirs we've got here." She agreed.

Ruihi looked back at Issei and Vali.

"Get all the info you can, and when we give you an opening, we'll let you know it's OK to go in gun's blazing." She smirked.

Chuckling at that Issei gave an awkward thumb's up as the two headed off.

Once they had left, Valerie walked up to some of the Vampires, giving a nervous look as they gave their usual Dhampir distaste towards her.

"Tell me, what do you know about Marius?" She asked.

* * *

Over on the Tepes Faction's side, Itsuki and Ruihi snuck in through a secret area, eventually bringing them into the quarters of Marius Tepes.

"Ah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Marius greeted the Satan Heiress.

"Shut up and get to the point, you know this isn't some dumb reunion." Ruihi replied.

Marius chuckled at Ruihi's... colorful reply, and turned to the side.

"Why don't you tell her, boss?" He suggested.

Ruihi turned, revealing the silhouette of Rizevim walking into view from his hiding spot, with Euclid shortly appearing by his side.

"Everything's set up, I have my granddaughter here to torment here, a situation for you to truly leave some damage, but best of all? We're finally going to make our entrance to this world!" Rizevim stated, giving a sinister smile that flashed his teeth.

"If I know you, that means you have some secret to spill here. You going to give us a sneak peek or not?" Ruihi questioned.

Snapping his fingers, the Satan Heiress quickly sweated a bit at the various lights she saw shining through the dark veils of the wall, all of which were eyes of something she didn't recognize.

"The clock is soon to strike midnight, and with this day's end... a horrible beginning will echo throughout this world!" The Worst Devil promised.

* * *

**Yikes, whatever Rizevim's got hiding in those shadows, they can't be good. Either way, the first arc of JOHD has finally come to an end! Next arc is where the civil war between the Vampires and Werewolves will finally come into light, and some actual Werewolves will show up, but most of all? Vali's about to have a not so happy reunion with her Ex-Grandpa...**

**I'll be taking a break before I begin the next arc, since some of my stories have been a bit neglected, including LOSD and LOTL, which I should really make some more progress on. Not only that, but while I won't say how close or far we are... I've gotta make sure everything for the Heavenly Dragons Movie is in order for when the time finally comes :)**

**Also, while I don't know when it'll be out? I'll be having a small comedy tied to the trilogy that takes place during LOHD's final arc. This story focuses on Kuoh Academy getting to know the supernatural races that are already in their school, and planning to attend it, so they can make sure to adjust things to reduce any challenges they face. I got the idea from "Interviews with Monsters Girls", which I highly recommend watching.**

**Now, to actually talk about the chapter itself? I doubt anyone saw Millarca actually being part of the Carmilla House, though I'll admit that's because I decided it only a bit prior to the last three chapters of LOHD. I figured if we have a notable Tepes in Valerie, it wouldn't cause too much harm if Millarca had just been hiding under her father's former surname. There is another reason for it, but I can't say it due to some minor spoilers.**

**This chapter also serves as a bit of forewarning to the other Evil Dragons, along with a set up to their in-story threats, especially with those of Apophis, Azi Dahaka, and Amaru, especially when you remember the fights Issei and Vali had with the first two in canon. Having Apophis be a direct and indirect cause behind the Plagues of Egypt was especially fun, as I totally believe he could have pulled that off.**

**So, who do you think those shadows hiding in the wall are? The only hint that I'll give you is that they're something from canon. Well, you'll find out where they are soon enough, just like you'll be seeing Ruihi having a rematch with our heroes. Will there be anymore Evil Dragons showing up? Their will, though I'll leave it to your imagination on which ones will be appearing :3**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**

* * *

**Issei's Peerage** **:** Team Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth

**King: Issei Lucifer  
Queen: Rossweisse Brynhildr  
Bishops: Ravel Phenex, Seishi Shiraishi  
Knights: Irina Shidou, Asuka Aoyama  
Rooks: Kelsey Akumaji, Homura Akane  
Pawns: Asia Argento, Yuuma Amano, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Tiamat**

* * *

**Vali's Peerage** **:** Team White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star

**King: Valiana Lucifer  
Queen: Lavinia Reni  
Bishops: Le Fay Pendragon, Kuroka Toujou  
Knights: Tobio Ikuse, Sae Toujou  
Rooks: Sun Bikou, Arthur Pendragon  
Pawns: Yumina Lucifuge, Elaine Westcott, Six Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Fafnir**

* * *

**Sona's Peerage** **:** Team Magic Blue Waves of Sitri

**King - Sona Sitri  
Queen - Tsubaki Shinra  
Bishops - Reya Kusaka, Unclaimed Bishop  
Knights - Bennia Orcus, Unclaimed Knight  
Rooks - Tsubasa Yura, Loup "Rugal" Garou  
Pawns - Saji Genshirou (x4, all Mutation Pieces: x5 Multiplier), Four Unclaimed Pawns**

**Adviser: Serafall Sitri**

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** Bust Size of New Female Characters/Time Skip Updates ** **:**

**None**

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** Brief Summaries of Abilities/Equipment/Terms in Today's Chapter ** **:**

**None**

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** Pairings List ** **:**

**Issei/Vali - Married  
Ddraig/Albion - Married  
Tiamat/Fafnir - Married  
Ophis/Great Red - Married  
Saji/Sona - Engaged as Saji's main fiancé  
Saji/Momo - Engaged as one of Saji's other fiancés  
Saji/Ruruko - Engaged as one of Saji's other fiancés  
Gasper/Valerie - Dating  
Kiba/Tosca - Dating  
Hina/Nanami - Married  
Shuriliu/Coriana - Engaged as Shuriliu's main fiancé  
Shuriliu/Her Peerage - Engaged as Shuriliu's other fiancés  
Rias/Akeno - Married  
Rossweisse/Vidar - Engaged  
Sairaorg/Kuisha - Engaged  
Jeanne/Cao Cao - Dating  
Arthur/Elaine - Married  
Bikou/Xuelan - Unknown Status  
Tobio/Sae - Married  
Kouki/Natsume - Engaged  
Shieri/Hyousuke - Engaged  
Ruihi/Itsuki - Dating  
Asia/Leonardo - Unknown Status  
Yumina/Connla - Unknown Status  
Xenovia/Sieg - Unknown Status**


End file.
